


Burning Thunder

by TheDogzLife



Category: Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions, Pocket Monsters: Black 2 & White 2 | Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 Versions
Genre: Gen, and a surprising amount of robots, many other Unova characters make an appearance & there are a lot of OCs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-02-17 16:32:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 93,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13080843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDogzLife/pseuds/TheDogzLife
Summary: Ryan is the son of Unova's heroes, and wants nothing more than to explore the region his parents once called home. Yet with no knowledge of what happened 17 years ago, and unknown creatures looming in the darkness, Unova may not be as safe as it appears...





	1. Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome to a fic about a shipping child that somehow developed into its own huge story.
> 
> I first started posting this fanfic on FFN in 2013, and as of the time of me writing this it is still ongoing, albeit nearing the end. This story means a lot to me, as do a lot of the characters in it, so I've decided to go back and edit the older chapters and start posting the story here as well! It'll be updated once a week on Wednesdays, most likely in the evenings (GMT).
> 
> The chapters aren't being rewritten entirely, just edited to make them (hopefully) better, and help with continuity since it's been 4 years since it started and a few smaller details changed over time. If you don't mind that the beginning of the original story is a little outdated and want to read the rest immediately, you can find it here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9415859
> 
> If you decide to continue reading, whether it's on FFN or the weekly revised updates on here, thank you!

Distant thunder rumbled above the clouds. The sky erupted with a flash of light, briefly outlining the leaves of the trees with a harsh brightness. Raindrops pelted against the paved footpath out of the forest. The storm had rolled in quickly, dooming any unsuspecting victims outside to get soaked.

Fortunately, the trees provided some shelter. One particular figure had managed to sprint the gap from the shelter of the forest to the porch without being out in the rain long enough to get completely soaked through. After quickly attempting to smooth down his naturally-scruffy brown hair, he pushed the unlocked front door open with his shoulder, as quietly as possible, and scanned his surroundings. There didn’t appear to be anyone here.

His eyes narrowed. “Coast’s clear,” he said in a hushed voice, managing to push the door open far enough that he could squeeze through. Arms held behind his back, he only just managed to catch the door with his foot before it could slam shut. Step one; make it inside without being noticed: check. _Phew_.

The next step was to cross the house to his room. It wasn’t far; he just needed to pass through the living room, then sneak down the hall. He could do that! Taking a moment to wipe his shoes on the doormat, he headed for the opposite door with light steps, his feet making no noise on the carpeted floor.

“I see you managed to escape the worst of the storm, huh, Ryan?”

The 12-year-old froze mid-step. Hurriedly he span to the right, holding his breath at the sound of a muffled squeak of surprise from the sudden movement. He hadn’t noticed anyone else in the room, but maybe he should have paid more attention to the adjoining kitchen, as someone approached him from that direction. “Dad…! Um… yeah!” He gave a sheepish grin, hoping he seemed innocent.

“Still, you should probably go and dry off,” the man commented, folding his arms; the action caused an almost waist-length green ponytail to swing across his back. His blue-grey eyes betrayed a look of suspicion.

“Yeah, yeah, I will,” Ryan nodded hastily. “I’m just gonna, uh… go look for a towel now… yup…” He took a single side-step towards the living room door. His arms were starting to hurt.

“But first,” N muttered, letting out a sigh. “You know your mother’s rules, Ryan.”

 _Ack…_ Ryan lifted his eyebrows, and he tried to look as clueless as possible. “Uh… what are you talking about?”

“Honestly, do you think I can’t tell when someone is carrying a Pokémon?”

For a moment, Ryan just stared at him, wide-eyed, considering clinging to the façade for longer. Then he gave up, letting out a grumble of defeat. “Busted… sorry, Jay…”

“ _Aww_ ,” the Eevee whined, climbing up Ryan’s arm to cling to his shoulder instead. Jay’s brown-and-tan fur was slightly damp from the rain. “No fair.”

“I’m sorry, friend,” N apologised, reaching out a hand to gently pet the small creature. “But… Ryan, you know the rules. No Pokémon in the house.”

“But mistaw,” Jay whimpered quietly, putting on his best puppy-dog eyes at the taller human in front of him and flattening his ears back against his neck fur. “It’s _waining_ outside… I don’t wanna be out in the wain…”

N hesitated. It was almost possible to see the debate going on in his mind. He cast a quick glance towards the window, looking out into the storm; right on cue, a rumble of thunder echoed from overhead. After a couple of seconds, he let out a long sigh.

“Okay… okay, just this once,” he said, easily defeated. “Just… don’t let your mother find out…”

“ _Yes_!” Ryan cheered—then immediately clamped a hand over his mouth, realising that had been rather loud. Hurriedly he glanced around, but fortunately, it seemed his mother was not within earshot. Considerably quieter, he added, “thanks, Dad! You’re the best!”

“I try,” N smiled with a modest shrug.

Keeping an eye out for his mother, Ryan hurried to the door and along the hallway, with Jay still clinging to his shoulder. The Eevee was looking around at the house in amazement; having lived out in the forest his entire life, he’d never seen anything like this before.

Eventually, moment of panic over, Ryan pushed open the door to his room. After quickly checking that it was devoid of people, he dove inside, promptly closing the door behind him as the Eevee hopped down to the ground. Jay lifted each of his paws in turn, not used to walking on carpet.

“Okay,” Ryan said evenly. “We’re safe. Just… don’t talk too loudly. I know Mum can’t understand you, but if she hears anything that doesn’t sound human she’ll get suspicious.”

“Sure,” Jay muttered absently, still gazing around in awe. “Wow… so, so this is what a human nest is like!”

Ryan couldn’t help but smile at how amazed Jay was just by seeing the inside of the house. To Ryan, well… he always considered his room kind of plain; faded blue walls, a crowded bookcase in the corner, a bed next to the window, a wardrobe, and a shelf of old toys that overlooked his desk.

Immediately Jay made a beeline for the bed, jumping up to stand on the mattress and experimentally walking around in a circle. “People are so lucky. This is much, _much_ softer than grass!”

“That’s the whole point,” Ryan laughed, flopping down onto the bed and nearly causing the Eevee to get thrown into the air. “By the way, that was some very good acting back there.”

Jay blinked at him, tilting his head to one side. “Acting? I really did want to stay in the human house place!”

“Hah,” Ryan smiled. “Someday we’ll go on a journey. I’ve heard that when you’re travelling, you gotta stay at the Pokémon Centres each night unless you know how to camp. And they _definitely_ allow Pokémon inside.”

“Pokémon Centre?” Jay echoed, staring at him as if he’d just spoken in a foreign language.

“You’ll see one someday. That is, if Mum and Dad ever let me go on a journey…” Ryan sighed.

“They won’t let you go?” Jay asked, flopping down onto the blanket, his front legs disappearing as he folded them underneath all his fluff. “Why not?”

“I don’t know. When I asked before, Dad just told me I couldn’t go. I could try asking again, though; it’s been a while, he might have changed his mind since.” Ryan shrugged, sitting up and running a hand through his slightly damp hair. He never had found a towel… but no matter. It was only water; it’d dry soon.

At 4’1”, Ryan was rather short for his age, but it didn’t usually bother him too much. Scruffy brown hair reached past his shoulders, and he could tie it back if needed but preferred it down. With clothes, he favoured comfort over appearance; his most common outfit recently was his grey hoodie, navy trousers and blue-and-white trainers.

“He seems like a nice human. I’m sure he’ll let you go eventually!” Jay said with a yawn, placing his head down on the soft surface of the bed.

“Hopefully,” Ryan sighed. “Nearly everyone I know is travelling already. I wanna go on a journey too.”

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Touko only just managed to stifle a yawn as she glanced at the clock on the wall; 7:30AM. She had been up and dressed for at least fifteen minutes by now, but the rest of the house was still silent.

“Ryan’s forgot to set his alarm again,” she sighed to herself. Sometimes it seemed like she was the only person in this house who could willingly get up early. There was little chance of N being awake within the next few hours, at the very least – _the lazy thing—_ but if Ryan wasn’t up soon, he’d be late for school.

Rolling her eyes and tutting at her family’s laziness, Touko made her way down the hall, pausing in confusion when she realised Ryan’s door was closed. That was odd. He usually left it slightly ajar overnight at this time of year.

“Ryan, time to get up,” she called. When there was no response, she twisted the door handle and pushed it open enough to see into the room.

As she’d suspected, he was still asleep. Yet, as the door swung wider, she had to do a double take and blinked in surprise.

There was an Eevee curled up at the foot of his bed.

Immediately Touko flung the door wide open, storming into the room. “ _Ryan_! Why is there a Pokémon in here!?”

Ryan was immediately startled awake by her furious exclamation. The noise spooked the Eevee, too, and it let out a frightened squeak, running behind Ryan’s arm to hide from her as he sat up.

“What… uh…” Ryan glanced around in a half-asleep stance, not alert enough to really understand what was happening yet. “Um…”

“There had better be a _very_ good explanation for this, young man.”

Ryan’s gaze finally settled on the Eevee, who would have actually been out of his mother’s sight now. “It… was raining…? Dad said he could stay just this once…”

Touko rolled her eyes with a sigh. “Of course.” Stepping back out of Ryan’s room, she marched down the hallway. “ _N_! I don’t care what time it is, you are getting up _right now_!”

Ryan exchanged a glance with Jay.

“We’re dead.”

 

* * *

 

It took Ryan less than five minutes to change into his usual clothes. Grabbing his backpack, which he'd packed for school last night and then dumped in the corner of his room, he warily peered around his door frame into the hall. Jay jumped onto the bag as he picked it up, scrambling up Ryan’s arm to perch on his shoulder.

“You know Mum’s gonna kill us, right?” Ryan muttered.

“She is?” Jay squeaked, nearly losing his balance as his fur puffed up alarmingly, and he tried to bury his face in Ryan’s hair, as if it could hide him somehow.

“Not _literally_ ,” Ryan rolled his eyes. “But she sounded pretty mad. Why couldn’t you sleep somewhere out of sight!?”

“The bed was _comfy_!”

Unable to give a clever reply to that, Ryan just pulled a face. Why had he expected anything more of Jay? Deciding he’d be better off focusing on trying to escape the immediate threat rather than the Eevee’s lack of logic, he bravely took a step out of his room, then another when his had no consequence. “Maybe we can sneak out…”

Although, it seemed that would be easier said than done. To get to the front door they’d have to pass through the living room, and that didn’t seem to be unoccupied currently…

“N! What the heck were you thinking!?”

Ryan froze mid-sneak. Swallowing hard, he made a ‘shh’ motion to Jay as he peered around the doorframe of the living room, hoping he wouldn’t be spotted.

“What’re you going on about, Touko…?” N mumbled, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. “It's too early…” He looked half-asleep. That was hardly surprising, since he’d probably only just woken up.

“You know what I’m ‘going on about’, N! You’re the whole reason I had to make that rule about not letting Pokémon in the house!” Touko huffed, her hands resting on her hips in an unimpressed way.

“Oh…” N blinked, glancing away guiltily at the ground as he ran a hand through his scruffier-than-usual hair. “Well, it… it was raining last night… a-and it was just Eevee… he’s Ryan’s friend…”

“My name’s not Eevee!” Jay complained.

“Ah! Jay, quiet!” Ryan hissed, backing away from the door so quickly he had to catch Jay before he could fall to the ground.

“And _you_ ,” Touko said sternly, clearly talking to Ryan. “Get over here. _Now_.”

Ryan hesitated for a long moment, Jay in his arms, wondering if it was worth trying to run back to his room and pretend he was never here, before finally sighing and giving in. He was going to be in trouble either way. Placing Jay down, and making a gesture for the Eevee to follow, he emerged into the living room, his gaze on the carpet. “Yes, Mum…”

“You know the rules, Ryan.” Touko stated, arms folded. “No Pokémon in the house.”

“I know, Mum.”

“So don’t try and smuggle any more of them in here, okay? Or you’ll be grounded.”

“Yes, Mum…”

“Have I made myself clear?”

Ryan was about to echo his last reply once more, but realising that might give her the impression he wasn’t actually listening, he looked up at her and nodded instead. “Mmhmm.”

“Good,” she nodded, clearly content with his response. “Now, put the Eevee outside, have some breakfast and then get to school. You’re going to be late otherwise.”

“Okay…” All things considered, Ryan had been let off lightly. He headed for the door. “C’mon, Jay.”

 Jay padded after him, turning his head away with a huff as he walked past Touko.

“Can I go back to bed now…?” N asked, partially as a yawn.

Touko tutted and rolled her eyes, although there was the hint of an affectionate smile on her face. “Fine. Just don’t sleep in ‘til midday or anything, sleepyhead.”

 

* * *

 

When Ryan finally left the house, Jay was sitting patiently on the doorstep, ears twitching innocently and tail whisking back and forth. At the sight of the boy he immediately hopped back to his paws with an excited squeak.

“Where are we going? Where are we going?” he chirped, jumping up and down.

“I’m going to school, Jay,” Ryan reminded simply as he walked past. “Just like I do five out of every seven days at this time of morning.”

“Oh. Okay!” Jay replied happily, and trotted after him. “Let’s go!”

Ryan fixed him with a blank stare. “You are way too excited about this.”

“Why? School is fun!”

“Maybe for you it is,” Ryan rolled his eyes. “Jay, you’re not even supposed to go into the school grounds. Don’t sneak into the janitor’s closet again, okay?”

“Humph. If he didn’t want me going in there, he should have closed the door and not left that sandwich lying around where anyone could find it!” Jay huffed indignantly.

Ryan couldn’t help but laugh. Sometimes Jay had such a hilarious mix of logic and naivety.

They trekked along the forest-lined path which bordered Greenway City. It wasn’t the quickest way to school, but it was the more scenic route, and sometimes a couple of wild Pokémon wandered close to the path. However, even from this far away, he could see the clock tower in the centre of town; it reached up above the roofs of the one-story buildings, calling out a familiar chime.

8:30.

“Oh, heck!” Ryan gasped in realisation, his steps hastening to a run. “C’mon, Jay, we gotta get a move on or I’ll be late!”

“Huh? What?” Jay glanced around, looking slightly bewildered. When he realised how far ahead Ryan was, he let out a quiet squeak and raced after him, his small paws churning up dust from the path.


	2. Troublemaker

The school playground was crowded when Ryan finally arrived. Children of varying ages, most of them younger than him, milled around as they waited for the bell to signal the start of the school day. Ryan usually tried to get here as early as possible, but after the events this morning, that hadn’t exactly worked out. At least he wasn’t late?

“So many people!” Jay gasped, mouth agape and eyes wide with a hint of fear. Even if they were children, the people here were a lot bigger than he was. “Where did they all come from?”

“There’s always this many people at school, Jay,” Ryan explained. “We usually arrive before most of them get here, that’s all. You’d better go back to the forest; class is gonna start soon.”

Jay opened his mouth to respond, disappointed that Ryan was going to be gone all day as per usual, but before he got the chance to speak, another voice interrupted them.

“Talking to your friends from the woods again, eh, _Harmonia_?”

At the snide remark from nearby, Ryan just sighed heavily. Perhaps he shouldn’t bother giving a response. But Jay’s ears had pricked, and he took a step forward to glance past Ryan, a curious expression on his face.

“Ignore them…” Ryan muttered, about to try and nudge the Eevee back before he was noticed. He wasn’t fast enough.

“Looks like one of them has followed you today, Ryan!” a younger boy scorned, parading towards them with a couple of other kids in tow. _Liam_. He was the unpunished bully within the school; all the kids knew he was trouble, but he managed to stay on the teachers’ good side and face no consequences for his meanness. He’d managed to gain his own band of followers thanks to this; that was the way to avoid getting picked on.

Ryan was two years older than him, though; his pride wouldn’t let him bow down to Liam just so the boy would shut his mouth.

“Hey, it’s the Pokémon whisperer!” one of the other kids jibed.

“Brought your wittle friend to school with you today, Wyan?” Liam sneered, his voice holding a heavily mocking tone.

“He just likes to walk with me, okay?” Ryan mumbled, barely audibly, hoping that if he didn’t show much willingness to fight back they’d leave him alone.

“Aw, but you could bring him in for show-and-tell!” the younger boy grinned, reaching down to grab the Eevee around the middle to pick him up.

Immediately Jay let out a squeak of surprise, legs flailing as he tried to wriggle out of Liam’s grip. “Go ‘way! Go ‘way! Put me down!”

“Wha—hey!” Ryan gasped, making a grab for the younger boy’s arm. “Let him go! He doesn’t want you to pick him up!”

“Did the Pokémon _tell_ you that?” Liam laughed, holding the squirming Eevee further from Ryan and ignoring the frightened squeal Jay let out.

His patience snapping, Ryan reached forward and grabbed a fistful of Liam’s shirt, his other hand clenching as a threat. “You let him go _right now_ —“

“ _Miss_!” Liam wailed, dropping the Eevee.

Jay let out a yelp as he hit the ground, slightly disoriented, and hurriedly scrambled back to his paws. Without missing a beat, he scurried backwards, away from the scary boy.

“Ryan! What do you think you’re doing!?”

Letting go of Liam’s shirt, Ryan stepped back, glaring at him for a moment before looking around. Which teacher was shouting at him this time?

It was the deputy-head, Mrs Kirkbride. _Great_.

The serious-looking teacher stormed over, pointing at him. “Apologise. Now.”

“Why?”

“Threatening people isn’t nice, Ryan!”

_How old do you think I am, five?_ “I had to. He was scaring Jay.”

Mrs Kirkbride glared down at him. “And who is this ‘Jay’? There is no ‘Jay’ at this school; don’t try to play smart with me, young man.”

“He’s…” Ryan glanced around, but the Eevee was nowhere in sight. He must have run back to the forest to get away from Liam. “He’s not a person… he’s a Pokémon…”

“Ryan, I will let you off with a warning for now, but no more of this behaviour,” the teacher scolded. A ringing noise sounded from the school building. “Get to class; the school day has started. And don’t get into any more trouble!”

“Yes, Miss…” Ryan mumbled, casting a glance at the gate before wandering off in the direction of the school building. Liam and his gang, out of Mrs Kirkbride’s line of sight, pulled faces as he walked past.

 

* * *

 

Once he reached the classroom, Ryan collapsed into his chair with a heavy sigh. He dropped his head on the desk, causing a moderately loud _thud_.

The person already sat at the desk next to him jumped at the noise. “Ryan?”

“Who else would it be?” he muttered, lifting his head and rubbing the area he’d smacked against the desk. “This is my seat.”

“Well, you don’t _usually_ sound like you’re having a fight with said seat,” the blonde-haired girl smiled, her unfocused eyes looking in his general direction from behind her overgrown fringe. “I’m guessing you’re in a bad mood.”

“It's barely even nine in the morning and I’ve already been scolded twice, one of which wasn’t even my fault.” Ryan huffed sulkily.

“Ouch.” Summer tapped her nails against the table. “Liam and his cronies again?”

“Yup.”

“Well, that explains a lot. I don’t know why they can’t just pick on someone their own age.”

Ryan just sighed, unable to give a clever reply. Sometimes he wondered that too.

He and Summer were the oldest in the school; barely any of the other kids were over the age of ten. That was the age when most either left on Pokémon journeys or transferred, and Ryan didn’t have good enough grades to do the latter. All the other people his age Ryan had known left within the past two years, and that just left him and Summer, the people who weren’t allowed to go.

Summer was blind since birth, and unable to safely travel alone for the amount that a journey would require. With options somewhat limited, she’d decided to stay at the school her father worked at to try and learn as much as possible about Pokémon, with her dream to one day be able to work at the Pokémon Centre. The school had allowed her to remain in her father’s class on the condition that she wouldn’t be given any special treatment that her disability didn’t require.

And then there was Ryan; stuck here because his parents wouldn’t let him leave.

“So, were _both_ of those incidents Liam, or…?” Summer prompted.

“What?” Briefly distracted by the bustle of their classmates pouring into the room, Ryan gave her a confused look.

“You said you’d been scolded twice.”

“Oh…” he grumbled, for once irritated by the amount of attention Summer paid to detail. “Yeah, I kinda… made Mum angry… I let Jay in the house.” He grimaced. “I have a feeling Dad’s probably in more trouble than I am for that one, though.”

“Good morning, class!” Mr Winfield greeted cheerfully as he strolled through the door, a folder held under one arm. Summer’s father always seemed to be in a good mood unless dealing with problem students. “How are you all today?”

“Just great,” Ryan replied, a little louder than he intended.

A couple of boys chuckled on the other side of the class. _Liam_.

“Well, no need to sound so happy, Ryan!” The teacher smiled, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but it was good-natured.

“Sir, what are we learning about today?” one of the other kids asked.

“Glad you asked, Peter! Today we’ll be learning about Pokémon habitats; where different species of Pokémon like to live!”

Sitting up in his seat at last, Ryan took a deep breath, blocking out the mutterings he could hear across the room. At least lessons about Pokémon were something he was actually interested in.

 

* * *

 

After lunch that day, Ryan headed out into the school grounds where all the other kids were. He glanced around quickly before slipping around the side of the school building. Technically, the rules said he wasn’t supposed to go here, mostly because it was where the dumpsters were, but it wasn’t as if he planned to swim around in the trash.

The back gate to the school was closed, as usual, but the bars had pretty sizable gaps between them. Not wide enough for him to fit through, but more than enough for a small Pokémon. Casting another quick glance around to make sure he hadn’t been followed, Ryan tapped on the metal a few times.

Immediately, one of the bushes outside the school rustled, a pair of brown ears appearing first as the Eevee poked his head out between the leaves. With an excited squeak, he bounded across the grass towards the gate.

“How long have you been waiting out here?” Ryan laughed.

“I dunno.” Jay wriggled through the bars of the gate, flopping head-first onto the concrete on the other side as he managed to squeeze through. He hopped quickly back to his paws, tail flicking back and forth.

Ryan delved into the pockets of his hoodie, fishing out a couple of berries he’d hidden from his own lunch in the canteen; fortunately they hadn’t been squished. He crouched down, holding them out to the Eevee. “Here you go, Jay.”

“Yay!” Jay’s eyes lit up at the sight of the berries, and he immediately hopped forward to snatch them from his hand, munching happily.

Ryan just smiled as he watched the berries vanish. “Don’t eat too fast.”

“Hm?” Jay blinked, licking the remains from his muzzle, the berries already gone.

“Silly,” Ryan rolled his eyes with a smile, standing back up.

Jay tipped his head to one side. His ears twitched. Then he looked past Ryan, taking a step towards the playground.

“Wait, where are you going?” Ryan asked, placing a hand on Jay’s head to try and keep him back.

“I hear something,” Jay said matter-of-factly, and ducked under Ryan’s hand, trotting towards the corner of the wall.

Ryan didn’t really have much choice but to follow. “Hear what? There’s just kids everywhere,” he pointed out as he peered around the corner.

“I hear the mean person,” Jay growled, ears flattening back against his fur.

_Mean person? Oh, right. He means Liam._

Ryan tried his best to follow where the Eevee was looking, and eventually he noticed Summer, sitting on a bench near the entrance to the school building; the only place in the playground where she’d venture on her own. Liam and a couple of his self-proclaimed friends were standing in front of her, seeming like they were attempting to tower over her despite the fact that she couldn’t actually see their intimidation tactic.

“Oh, great,” Ryan sighed. “What do they want with Summer?”

“Isn’t it autumn?” Jay questioned. “Zoroark taught me the seasons!”

“What? No, just…” Ryan rolled his eyes. “Just wait here, Jay. I’ll be back in a moment. If anyone comes this way, run back to the forest before they see you.”

“Aww,” Jay huffed, his ears drooping.

Hoping the Eevee wouldn’t get spotted by anyone, Ryan emerged from his cover, approaching slowly alongside the wall as he strained to hear what Liam and his gang were saying. They were too busy talking to notice him.

“But your father is the _teacher_! You can convince him to give us better grades! Or at the very least lower the grades of that Pokémon-speaking idiot!”

_Really?_ Ryan just stared at them blankly. _That_ was what all the fuss was about?

“Or, you lot could just, I don’t know, study more?” Summer replied blankly, seeming unfazed. “It’s not my fault if Ryan gets higher grades than you.”

“But it’s not fair! That idiot’s cheating! He can just go ask a Pokémon for the answers!”

“So?”

Liam looked more furious than ever. “So get your father to boost our grades because we’re at a disadvantage!”

“Can’t. Sorry.”

“I don’t care whether you think you can or not!” Liam snapped, clenching his fist. “Do it or else I’ll break your nose! Then you won’t be able to see _or_ smell!”

Summer shifted away slightly, looking unsure as to whether he was going to go through with his threat right there. “You wouldn’t do that. Dad would find out. Or Mrs Kirkbride. I’d tell them what you did, and you’d be in big trouble.”

“If you snitch on anyone I’ll hurt you even more!”

“Yeah, so what about if _I_ tell them?” Ryan spoke up at last, walking over to stand up for his friend.

“Ryan?” Summer blinked, not attempting to look at him; with all the people nearby she couldn’t tell where exactly he was.

“You!” Liam growled, shoving him. Not expecting the sudden force, Ryan staggered backwards, luckily close enough to the wall that he hit that instead of falling to the ground. “Who do you think you are, Pokémon boy?”

“I know who I am. I just don’t know what your deal is.”

“You stupid idiot cheater!” Liam snarled, grabbing the front of his hoodie and nearly lifting him off the ground. Liam may have been two years younger but Ryan was still shorter. “You know what my deal is!”

“Leave him alone!” Jay squeaked.

Ryan gasped at the sound of the Eevee, but Liam didn’t seem to notice.

That was probably why he looked like he’d seen a ghost when the little Pokémon jumped at him. Liam shrieked as Jay sunk his teeth into his arm and immediately jumped back.

Free from his grip, Ryan just about managed to avoid losing his balance. “Jay!”

“ _Get him off me_!” Liam wailed, flailing his arm as he tried to throw the Eevee off.

Eventually Jay lost his grip, flung into the air with a squeal as he was finally forced to let go. The Eevee yelped as he hit the concrete, lying dazed for a few seconds before he pushed himself back to his paws, fur fluffed up alarmingly. Liam shrieked as he saw the bite marks on his arm.

“Jay!” Ryan cried again, shoving past the couple of students who were standing in his way to gently lift the Pokémon into his arms. “Are you okay?”

“Mmhmm…” Jay mumbled wearily, huddling against him for a moment. Then his ears twitched, and he glanced up at Ryan with wide eyes. “I mean… um… nooo… need berries…”

Ryan smiled, sighing in relief. _He’s fine._

“What on _earth_ is going on here!?”

At the furious voice and the sound of heels heading their way, Ryan felt a chill down his spine. Mrs Kirkbride again. Why did she have to show up now!?

“Ryan made that Pokémon attack me, Miss!” Liam sniffled, showing her his injured arm, genuine tears welling in his eyes. The kids who were gathered around looked shocked, including Summer, and many of the others across the playground had turned their heads to see what was going on.

Mrs Kirkbride’s eyes widened in horror as she saw the blood. Her head snapped around to look at Ryan, her eyes burning with anger worse than he’d ever seen. Jay shrank lower in his arms as Ryan glanced sheepishly up at the teacher. This was bad. _Very_ bad.

“Ryan Harmonia. Mr Stanford’s office. _Now_.”


	3. Honesty

“Ah, Mrs Harmonia, is it? Please, take a seat.”

 _Mrs Harmonia._ Touko felt the words echo in her mind. Very few people called her by her last name, and while it served as a reminder that she’d been happily married for many years now, sometimes being addressed in such a manner was slightly intimidating.

“Um… thanks,” she nodded politely, albeit somewhat awkwardly, and seated herself at one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk. She’d been through a lot of dangerous situations in the past and wasn’t easily unnerved, but right now, for some reason, she felt incredibly small.

It had been a long time since she’d been in a head teacher’s office. She hadn’t ever imagined having to be called in as a parent for her child’s troublesome behaviour.

“I’m assuming you know what this is about?” Mr Stanford questioned, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk as he held his hands together.

“I… know the gist of what happened…” Touko answered simply, trying to avoid eye contact without it being too obvious. This guy was definitely intimidating enough to be an effective head teacher. He was the sort of person who children would have been scared to anger, so they’d keep in line. Late forties, black hair that was starting to grey, face framed with a neatly-trimmed beard. Other than appearance, all Touko knew about the guy was that he had a Stoutland which often patrolled the school; right now it was outside the room, no doubt being fussed over by N.

“I’m sorry for calling you out here, but I simply cannot let something like this go ignored,” the teacher sighed. “The school prohibits unsupervised Pokémon battling, as I’m sure you are aware, although this is deemed more severe even than that.”

 _I can’t even understand half of what he’s saying…_ “Well, I apologise for what Ryan has done, and I’m sure he’s sorry too…”

“But ma’am, this is a serious case indeed,” Mr Stanford added, sitting up straighter and adjusting his tie. He… actually reminded Touko of another teacher she knew, come to think of it. Would Cheren dissolve into using fancy words in his regular conversations by the time he reached forty? “This isn’t a minor case of rule-breaking. Another child was injured because of your son’s actions. This isn’t the first time his behaviour has been brought to our attention, either.”

Unsure of how to reply, as to whether she should apologise again or not, Touko remained silent.

“And then I must address this point. We have allowed Ryan to remain here for extra education for the past two years, but if his behaviour is going to affect or even harm the other students we will no longer be able to. He does seem to have quite the affinity for Pokémon, so I must ask, what is the reason for him not having left on a journey yet?”

“Oh…” Touko sighed inwardly. She hadn’t expected this to be brought up. “It's… it’s complicated. Family reasons, I guess.”

The teacher was silent for a moment, looking thoughtful. “Hmm. If that is the case, then I’m not sure what the school can do. However, if there is a way around these… ‘family reasons’, I believe Ryan would benefit from embarking on his own journey. Not only does it teach children how to look after Pokémon, it also teaches them responsibility and other equally important life lessons.”

“We’ll think about it,” Touko nodded.  “Is… that all…?”

“Almost. I would like to ask that you take Ryan with you now, and keep him off school for the rest of the week. His behaviour cannot go unpunished, I’m afraid. Perhaps you could have a think during this time about the possibility of allowing him to leave on a journey?”

“Right… okay,” Touko gave a half-hearted smile. That might be easier said than done. “Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

The corridor was eerily quiet when everyone else was in lessons. The ticking of the clock on the wall was amplified by the silence, and Ryan fought to try and focus on something else before the sound could drive him nuts.

He waited on one of the chairs outside the head teacher’s office, knees pulled up to his chest and his head buried in his arms. He’d ordered Jay to go back to the forest before he was sent in here, and hopefully the Eevee had actually listened to him this time.

N was sat next to him. Mr Stanford’s Stoutland, Birney, was flopped lazily on the ground nearby, his head resting on N’s lap and stubby tail waving back and forth as N scratched behind his ears. Quite frankly, Ryan was relieved that his father was too distracted by the Pokémon to say anything about what had happened.

The sound of footsteps echoed off the smooth tiles of the corridor, and Ryan lifted his head, only to see Liam being escorted back to class by the school nurse. He now had a large plaster on his arm where Jay had bitten him. As he walked past, he cast a glare at Ryan, muttering something under his breath.

“Pokémon freak.”

Gasping at the insult, Ryan nearly jumped out of his seat – if Liam wanted a fight, he could have one – but was stopped by someone grabbing his arm. As he glanced back arrogantly, N shot him a fierce look; a silent warning not to get into any more trouble.

Simply letting out a huff instead, Ryan sat back on the chair, crossing his arms and glaring at Liam until the boy had vanished around the corner. After that, it was only a few seconds before the silence was broken.

“I’m disappointed in you, Ryan.”

“I didn’t even do anything,” Ryan muttered, not bothering to look at his father this time.

“Pokémon are friends,” N reminded him, running a hand over Birney’s fur. “It's not fair to involve Eevee in your arguments with the other children. He could have been hurt.”

“It's not as if I _made_ him attack Liam.”

“No, but you could have stopped him. Then you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“I don’t _control_ Jay, Dad!” Ryan snapped. “You of all people know that! It's not _my_ fault if Liam decides to try and start a fight, and it’s not _my_ fault if Jay decides to try and protect me!”

“Don’t shout at me, Ryan,” N said shortly. “You shouldn’t let Eevee into the school in the first place. It's dangerous for a small Pokémon.”

“Why are you blaming everything on _me_?” Ryan cried. “I can’t help it if Jay doesn’t always do whatever I say!”

“Then perhaps I should speak to him later. But for now, maybe you should treat our friends better.”

Ryan was about to shout at him again. He didn’t care if they were in the middle of a school where anyone might hear him. He was interrupted by a click as the door to the head teacher’s office opened. Ryan jumped to his feet as Touko emerged.

“What’d he say?” he asked, impatient.

Birney let out a loud yawn, climbing back to his paws and trotting back over to the office where his trainer was. Touko stepped aside to let the dog Pokémon past.

“We should talk about this later,” Touko said quietly. “But for now, Ryan, he said to keep you off school for the rest of the week.”

Ryan blinked in surprise. He’d expected some kind of harsh punishment, but this didn’t seem like a bad thing at all. He didn’t have to go to school or be around Liam for the rest of the week? That was definitely good! “Oh. Okay then!”

“Don’t think this means you’re getting off scot-free,” Touko added meaningfully. “As soon as we get home, you’re grounded.”

“…Great.” Ryan let out a long sigh. Maybe this wasn’t such a good thing after all.

 

* * *

 

Ryan let out yet another sigh to add to the collection as he turned the page. Being grounded meant he had to stay in his room, and that was boring. With not much else to do he’d simply flopped onto the bed, propping himself up on his elbows to stare blankly at the book in front of him, which he’d read countless times before. Pokémon types and effectiveness. He knew all this stuff by heart now.

Bored, he dropped his head onto the mattress instead. He didn’t like being trapped in here. The door wasn’t locked, but he knew someone would probably catch him if he tried to leave.

Suddenly, he heard a scratching noise. Lifting his head in slight alarm, Ryan looked over to the window to see a fluffy shape scrabbling at the glass.

A smile reappearing briefly on his face, Ryan reached over to pull at the latch, managing to unlock and lift the sliding window. “Jay! What are you doing here?”

“I was bored,” Jay said. “And I saw you in here. So I thought I’d say hi.”

“Well, you’ve said hi,” Ryan pointed out. “If Mum catches you in here again I’ll be in even more trouble.”

“Aww,” Jay whined, ears drooping. They pricked a moment later though, and he leaned forward to see into the room better. “What’s that?”

“What?” Ryan blinked, following the Eevee’s gaze. “It's a book, Jay. I’ve told you what books are before.”

“I know, but what’s in the book? You said that books have lots of infer… iffy… formation!”

“It's information about Pokémon types and what they’re effective against,” Ryan shrugged. “If you want to know about it then maybe you should go ask Zoroark or something.”

“But I wanna play hide and seek!”

“Go ask some of the other Pokémon then.”

“But they find me easily! It's more fair when we play!”

“Sorry to disappoint you, Jay, but I can’t leave my room,” Ryan sighed. “Grounded.”

“Huh?” Jay tilted his head. “Why can’t you leave? Is… is there a barrier or something?” He experimentally waved a paw through the window as if he expected there to be some kind of invisible force field there.

“No, I just—” He broke off. “Actually, that’s a good point.” He wouldn’t stand a chance of sneaking out through the house, but he could definitely fit through the window. He’d just have to get around the building without being spotted by his parents. “Okay then. Hide and seek it is.”

 

* * *

 

Thankfully the ground had dried since yesterday’s thunderstorm; otherwise, Ryan’s unceremonious window escape would have ended a lot messier as he fell ungracefully onto the dry mud outside. Quickly climbing back to his feet, he dusted himself off before glancing around.

His window faced the back garden; why the houses here even needed gardens when the forest was so close by, he didn’t know. The fence surrounding the area did a pretty bad job of bordering it, although this was probably intentional so that the wild Pokémon could get in. The fences were lined with bushes, growing berries that would heal conditions like burns and poison in case they were ever needed.

“So who’s going to hide?” Jay asked cheerily, ears twitching.

“Shh!” Ryan hissed quietly. “We need to get away from the house first. Head into the forest, Jay, I’ll come look for you in a minute. And try to keep quiet.”

Eyes widening in excitement, Jay nodded with playful determination, racing away around the side of the house. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. If there was anything that would have given his escape away, it would have been the Eevee.

Quietly, Ryan edged along the wall, ducking past the windows of the house as he tried to remain unseen. He wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to get back in without being noticed, or whether anyone would realise he wasn’t in his room… ah well, he’d deal with that later. He wanted to go out into the forest. And besides, Jay was still waiting for him. Knowing how stubborn that Eevee could be, he couldn’t get sent back inside or Jay would spend the rest of the day hiding.

He peered around the corner, seeing nothing but the empty path leading from the front door out into the forest. Taking a couple of steps forward, Ryan tried to see through the windows, in case anyone was watching. There was no cover between here and the forest, so perhaps he’d just have to make a run for it and hope he didn’t get spotted.

Maybe he’d been too focused on watching the front of the house, because he hadn’t noticed that there was anyone approaching behind him.

“And where do you think you’re going?”

Ryan let out a yelp of surprise as someone placed a hand on his shoulder, and he hurriedly span around, nearly tripping over backwards as he tried to bat their arm away. After a few seconds the initial shock faded, and he was left looking guiltily up at the person who’d caught him.

_Dad… great._

“The forest,” Ryan stated matter-of-factly. “Jay wanted to play hide-and-seek.”

“Ryan, you know you’re grounded,” N sighed.

“But I didn’t—”

“Look,” N interrupted, obviously knowing where this was heading. “I know… being locked in your room isn’t fun, but… at least it’s only for the rest of the day. You can put up with it until your punishment is over, I’m sure.”

“But it’s not fair!” Ryan complained. “I haven’t even done anything to be punished for!”

“You’ve clearly done _something_ wrong, or the school wouldn’t have suspended you!”

“But I didn’t! Liam was going to hurt me, and Jay—” he broke off, a sudden realisation hitting him. “They just think I did something wrong because I can understand Pokémon. But I didn’t…!”

“We’ve been over this already,” N pointed out sternly. “Just because you didn’t tell Jay to attack that boy doesn’t mean you’re not responsible for what happened.”

“Just because I can understand what he’s saying, is that it?” Ryan shouted. “I can understand other people too, but that doesn’t make me responsible for what any of them do!”

“Ryan, that’s not what I meant—”

“This is the reason Liam and his stupid friends pick on me! Just because I can understand Pokémon—and now you’re doing it too! It's not fair! If I didn’t have this ability then none of this would have happened…!”

“Ryan, don’t…”

“Shut up!” he cried, voice wavering. “This is your fault! If you weren’t my father then I could just be normal like everyone else!”

His words were met with a stunned silence. N just froze, his eyes widening in shock.

Not giving him a chance to form a reply, Ryan turned and ran for the cover of the forest. This time, he wasn’t stopped.


	4. Hide and Seek

For the past few minutes, Touko had considered whether she should go out and look for Ryan. After all, he was supposed to be grounded, not out running around in the woods. After what she’d just heard, though, maybe it’d be best to leave him alone for a while to calm down.

In the meantime, she decided to turn her focus to N. A few minutes after the shouting stopped he’d trudged back into the house and collapsed on the sofa, looking rather distressed. Now he was sat there, his head resting in his hands, staring blankly at the carpet.

Touko had heard the whole argument from inside. She decided it’d be best if she didn’t interfere, given the chances it would’ve only made things worse. Hovering beside the sofa for a few moments, she finally let out a suppressed sigh.

“N, you okay?”

At first, he didn’t reply. She wondered if he was even listening to her.

“I… he said…” N replied shakily. “I-if I wasn’t…”

After waiting a few seconds to give him a chance to continue, Touko sat down next to him. “I heard… he doesn’t really mean it, N. All kids say things like that at his age.”

He looked up at her at last, a look of worry and hurt in his eyes. “It _sounded_ like he meant it to me…” He let out a long sigh. “Sorry, Touko… I’m still not very good at this whole ‘parent’ thing.” N glanced away once more, muttering under his breath. “Didn’t exactly have the best role model…”

“Oh, N…” Touko sighed, shuffling over to pull him into a hug. “It's okay. You’re a great father to Ryan. He’s just upset because he’s being punished. All kids are like that. I know I certainly was when I was his age.”

N didn’t give a worded reply, eventually returning the hug. He rested his head on her shoulder, letting out a quiet defeated sigh.

After a long moment, the silence was finally broken as he spoke once more. “So what did that guy say?”

“Huh?”

“The teacher… you said we needed to talk about it later.”

“Oh…” Touko mumbled. She hadn’t expected him to bring it up. And, considering what the advice Mr Stanford had given her was, she didn’t think N would be too happy to hear it… but she knew that it was only fair for him to know. Perhaps she could try and avoid the whole story for now and save the rest for when he wasn’t upset. “He… said to keep Ryan off school until Monday as punishment.”

“That’s all…?” N blinked, sitting up and giving her a confused look. He was observant enough to know there must be more; this was already apparent from what had been said earlier.

Well, so much for avoiding the whole story. She wasn’t going to lie to him. With a smile which ended up more like a grimace, she continued. “Well… he also said that Ryan might benefit from going on a journey, because it’ll teach him how to be more ‘responsible’.”

“So what he’s saying is,” N replied bluntly, a smidge of hurt in his eyes, although it wasn’t directed at her. “It’s my fault because I wouldn’t let him go.”

“No, no, it’s not your fault,” Touko hurriedly shook her head. “But… why don’t we at least think about letting him go on his own journey? You know he won’t intentionally hurt Pokémon, N. He’s got enough of your genes to stop him doing that.” Her smile was more genuine this time.

“I know, it’s just…” he trailed off, trying to find a way to describe what he was thinking. “I still don’t really like the idea of him becoming a trainer… I mean, most of what they do is battling, so whether it’s on purpose or not, Pokémon _will_ get hurt.”

“But they’ll get stronger, too,” Touko added. “That’s how they form strong bonds with their trainers. Besides, I was a trainer.” She nudged his arm, a warm look in her eyes. “You liked me.”

At long last she managed to get a smile out of him. Only a slight one, but a smile nonetheless. “I know. And your Pokémon were happy to fight alongside you, but… doesn’t mean I like _all_ trainers.”

“Well, I’m sure Ryan will be considerate. He _does_ care about Pokémon. And I’m sure whatever happened today was an accident, even if the school don’t seem to think so. Maybe at least think about letting him go?”

N was silent for a long moment. “…Okay. I’ll… I’ll think about it. If I can get him to not hate me, at least…”

“He doesn’t hate you. He’ll calm down soon, N,” Touko assured, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “Just… give him ten minutes. If you go look for him then he might be willing to talk.”

 

* * *

 

Ryan slowed his pace at last as he stormed into the forest, the sound of the crunching leaves beneath him startling a couple of Pidove in the trees. Their surprised squawks snapped him out of his angered trance, and he hurriedly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Sorry!” he called to the canopy, but the Pidove had already flown away.

He felt terrible. True, he’d been mad about the fact that he was in trouble for something he didn’t do, but the argument had only made him feel worse. He hadn’t meant to say that stuff to his father. He didn’t mean it… but that didn’t mean he felt like going back to apologise. Not yet. He was still angry at N for pinning the blame solely on him.

For now, he had to deal with the reason he’d come out here in the first place. Hoping that he wouldn’t scare any more of the forest Pokémon, he raised his voice. “Jay?”

No response. The Eevee had wanted to play hide-and-seek, anyway; he was probably still hiding and wouldn’t reply to his call.

Unfortunately for Jay, they’d played hide and seek before, and there was one place where Jay always hid to try and cheat.

Speeding up so that he was soon racing through the forest once more, Ryan dodged around the trees and bushes. He knew this place like the back of his hand, as well as most of the Pokémon in it. They’d lived at the edge of the forest for as long as he could remember, and he spent so much time here that Touko had described it as being ‘his second home’.

He could still remember the day a Leafeon had arrived in the forest. She’d been in a terrible condition, badly poisoned for a long time, trying to carry an egg around with her. Ryan had found the Pokémon on his way home from school one day, and the Leafeon had seemed scared of him at first; upon realising he could understand her, she’d begged for his help before collapsing on the grass. He’d managed to fit the egg safely into his bag and carry the weak Pokémon back to the house. Even though N had done everything he could to save the Leafeon, she hadn’t made it through the night.

Ryan had continued to look after the egg, however, getting help from some of the wild Pokémon to keep it warm until it eventually hatched. He’d named the Eevee that hatched from it Jay, and he’d been Ryan’s best friend ever since.

_Aha_. He could see the place now; one of the tallest trees in the forest. There were plenty of clumps of leaves among the branches, and Jay liked to pick there as a hiding place because he didn’t think Ryan would be able to get up there to find him. He’d proven him wrong last time, and the chances were that was where Jay had chosen to hide.

Halting at the base of the tree, Ryan glanced up through the branches. “Jay? I know you’re up there. No cheating this time.”

There was no reply. Everything was silent, and for a moment Ryan thought that maybe the Eevee wasn’t there after all. Then something rustled in the branches above, a couple of leaves fluttering to the ground, and Ryan grinned. _There you are._

He jumped up to catch one of the lowest branches, managing to pull himself up onto it. If Jay thought he could win just by staying hidden, he was wrong.

It didn’t take Ryan long to scale the tree; he’d had plenty of practice climbing before. He just had to make sure the branches were strong enough to take his weight, and then pull himself up to the next one. After a few minutes he reached the clump of leaves where the Eevee would be hiding.

“Found you!” he cheered, quickly pushing the leaves aside.

He was met by a flurry of wings as an angry Tranquill flew from the leaves, inches from his face.

“Ah!” Ryan gasped as the shock caused him to lose his balance. He fell a metre before managing to grab onto one of the lower branches, left hanging from it as he glanced around to try and find where the flying Pokémon had gone. “Sorry!”

The Tranquill cast a furious glare back at him, screeching a curse as it disappeared beyond the trees.

_And the same to you too,_ Ryan huffed. It looked like Jay wasn’t here after all, so he might as well get down from this tree. He just needed to either climb up onto this branch or drop down to one of the ones below. This wasn’t one of the branches he’d used to climb up here, though…

He knew even before he heard the snap that this one wasn’t strong enough to hold his weight.

_Ack!_ The wood creaked alarmingly, cracking closer to the trunk and sending him falling to the ground below. Ryan tried to grab onto one of the other branches but he couldn’t reach any of them in time.

He hit the ground with an explosion of leaves – which, strangely enough, was accompanied by a yelp. That was weird. Leaves didn’t yelp. They weren’t usually this soft either…

“Huh…? Whoa!” Ryan cried as suddenly he was thrown off whatever he’d landed on, this time actually falling among the autumn leaves. He took a moment to check that nothing was broken – it wasn’t, thank Arceus – and then looked up at last. He was greeted by an irritated snarl, black and red fur bristling.

“Oh…” he mumbled, laughing nervously as he sat up. “Hi, Zoroark…”


	5. Lessons Learnt

Zoroark didn’t seem too happy about having a child fall on him, understandably. The snarling attitude remained for a moment, icy eyes narrowed. It didn’t last for long. After five seconds the elderly fox gave a sigh, standing on his hind legs to be at full height, his mane still ruffled.

“Don’t fall out of trees. It's dangerous.”

“Well, _duh_ ,” Ryan huffed, picking a couple of leaves out of his hair. “… Thanks for catching me.”

“ _Catching_ you?” Zoroark snorted. “Children…” He rolled his eyes. “Actually, I was looking for you.”

“Catching, having someone fall on you, same thing,” Ryan shrugged jokingly. Then he frowned. “Wait, you were looking for me? Why?” A sudden realisation crossed his mind. “… Dad sent you, didn’t he?”

Zoroark shook his head. “No. But I saw you run out here. Why were you shouting at Natural?”

“Nat—oh, Dad, right,” Ryan muttered. He hardly ever heard anyone call his father by his full name; sometimes Ryan forgot he even had one. Zoroark was the only one who used it. Apparently the Pokémon had been one of his friends growing up, and given how old Zoroark was, that wasn’t hard to believe.

“Ah, I forgot. He doesn’t go by that name much now, does he?” the fox mumbled absently. “Still, he doesn’t like being shouted at. Why did you raise your voice?”

“I was angry,” Ryan muttered, folding his arms over his knees. He didn’t want to be scolded again, especially not by a Pokémon. “Look, I… I’ll go apologise soon, okay?”

Zoroark tipped his head to one side and sat down on the leaves to sit next to him, some of them sticking to his fur. “Did something happen?”

Ryan just gave a huff.

“I see,” the fox said, eyes narrowed. “Guess I’ll have to ask Natural instead—”

“No!” Ryan burst out instinctively. “I mean… fine, I’ll tell you. A kid at school was trying to hurt me and Jay bit him. The school blamed me for it and I’ve basically been kicked out temporarily.”

Through his very brief explanation, Zoroark had listened, a blank look on his face. His ears twitched slightly. “ _Humans_. They’re complete idiots.”

“Hey!” Ryan protested. “Not all of them!”

“You just fell out of a tree,” the dark-type pointed out with a smirk. He blinked curiously. “Speaking of which, why _were_ you in a tree?”

“Looking for Jay.”

“… You were looking for an Eevee in a tree?”

“He’s somewhere out here waiting for me to find him,” the boy shrugged. “We’re playing hide and seek. He usually hides in the leaves up there.” He pointed up at the branches. “But he’s not there this time, so I guess he finally found a new hiding place.”

Following his gaze, Zoroark looked up at the tree, ears twitching. Then he glanced around at the forest. “Want some help? You’ll be searching for the rest of the day with your human senses in a forest this big.”

“Sure.” There were far too many places in this forest where the Eevee could be hiding. Having a Pokémon help out would mean Ryan actually stood a chance of finding him again.

 

* * *

 

The two of them split up to search. Despite his age, Zoroark still had a keen sense of smell, and it didn’t take him long to pick up the Eevee’s scent among the greenery in the forest. He could remember a few times when the younger Pokémon had pestered him into playing hide-and-seek in the past, but had always complained about how Zoroark found him so quickly.

Zoroark trailed the scent to a small clearing; the fluffy brown tail sticking out of the bushes at the side just made it even more obvious as to where the hidden Pokémon was. With a sigh at how useless Jay’s hiding skills seemed to be, Zoroark walked over and pushed the leaves aside.

Immediately the Eevee yelped and jumped back, landing on the grass and nearly toppling over out of surprise. “Hey! I was trying to hide!”

“ _Trying_ ,” Zoroark repeated dryly, dropping back to all fours and padding away across the clearing. “Come on. Ryan’s looking for you.”

“But that’s the whole idea. We were playing hide and seek!” Jay huffed. He ran forwards to pounce on the end of Zoroark’s mane.

Yelping as his head was suddenly pulled back, Zoroark glanced around with a quiet growl. The Eevee stepped back hurriedly, looking around at the trees with obviously feigned innocence.

Jay’s ears twitched briefly, and his curious gaze returned to the fox. “Zoroark? You’re like, really old, right?”

“ _Excuse_ me?” the fox snapped. “I wouldn’t say _really_ old…”

“And you know a lot of stuff, right?”

“Perhaps. That would depend what you mean by ‘stuff’.”

“Do you know about Pokémon types and what they’re… fee-ethic… against?”

 “…You mean effective?”

“Yeah! That’s what I said!”

“Sure you did.” The fox rolled his eyes, settling down on the grass. “Why do you ask?”

“Ryan was looking at one of those ‘book’ things earlier, and there was stuff about Pokémon types in it!” Jay gave an excited hop. “And, and, I know that each of us have our own type, but what are we effective against?”

“Explaining each of the types would take ages. What exactly do you want to know?”

“Well… um…” the Eevee looked thoughtful for a moment. “You’re a dark type, right?”

Zoroark nodded.

“What are you effective against?”

“Psychic and ghost types,” Zoroark replied simply. “Like Solosis or Yamask.”

“Oh! Oh! I know them!” Jay chirped happily. “And I’m… normal type! What am I effective against?”

“Uh…” Zoroark hesitated for a moment, hoping he wouldn’t be too disappointed to hear this. “Nothing.”

“What!? I’m not effective against _anything_!?” Jay cried, ears drooping. “That’s not fair!”

“Normal type moves don’t do extra damage against anything, but you can still learn moves of other types that will. You just won’t be as good at using them,” Zoroark explained, not wanting to have the young Pokémon whining at him. “Besides, you’re an Eevee. Once you evolve you’ll become a different type.”

“I will?” Jay’s eyes widened. “What type will I be then?”

“Depends what you evolve into,” the fox muttered, already tired of Jay’s questions.

There was a short silence as the Eevee seemed lost in thought for a moment, perhaps wondering what type of creature he might become. After a couple of seconds he looked up at Zoroark once more. “You’re a strong Pokémon, aren’t you?”

A look of pride flashed across the fox’s face. “I guess you could say that.”

“Teach me how to fight!”

Zoroark was silenced by surprise at the request. It soon wore off, and his brow furrowed. “No.”

“ _Why_?”

“You’re not strong enough to fight me. You’re still young. Now, let’s go and find Ryan.” Zoroark got back to his paws, starting off across the clearing once more.

“I’m plenty strong!” Jay protested. The older Pokémon only responded with a wry laugh. “I am!” he charged forwards, ramming into one of Zoroark’s forelegs with a tackle.

The impact wasn’t enough to harm the fox, nor really do anything other than cause the Eevee to bounce off his leg and fall backwards onto the ground. Even so, Zoroark snapped his head around to glare at the Eevee, lifting a paw and pinning the small creature to the ground.

“Still think you’re strong enough to fight me?” he snarled.

“Sure I am!” Jay replied, winded from being pressed against the ground, flailing his paws to try and escape from the larger Pokémon’s grip. He didn’t seem willing to give up, that was for sure, even though he had no chance of winning.

“Zoroark! What are you doing!?”

At the exclamation, both Pokémon glanced around in surprise to see N standing at the edge of the clearing, a horrified expression on his face.

“Zoroark’s teaching me how to fight!” Jay chirped happily.

N didn’t reply. His gaze still carried concern as he looked to Zoroark instead.

Realising the Eevee was still scrabbling at his paw – Jay’s claws were surprisingly sharp – Zoroark hastily stepped back and cleared his throat. “Are you looking for Ryan?”

“Ha ha! I win!” Jay cheered, hopping back to his paws now that he’d been set free.

“Yeah, I am,” N sighed. “Hopefully he’s not still mad at me.”

“He won’t be,” the fox assured. “If you’re going to look for him, take this one with you.” He nudged Jay forward. “Ryan’s looking for him.”

“That’s because you interrupted our game of hide and seek!” Jay huffed, not seeming too bothered as he lost his balance from being pushed. “I was gonna win too.”

The man’s gaze softened at the young Pokémon. “C’mon, Eevee. Let’s go look for Ryan.”

“My name isn’t Eevee!” Jay complained. Not bothering to correct him, though, he skipped over to N. Jay paused to look up at him, tipping his head to one side. “Why are you so _tall_? Ryan is a lot easier to climb on…”

With a quiet laugh, N crouched down, offering his hand out to the Pokémon. “I’m older than Ryan. He’ll get taller eventually.”

“Oh. Well, I hope that isn’t too soon.” Jay jumped for the hand and climbed up N’s sleeve to perch on his shoulder.

“Any idea where Ryan is?” N asked as he stood back up to full height.

“Whoa! I can see forever!” Jay squeaked, nearly losing his balance in his excitement. He didn’t seem to register the question at first. “Oh, uh, I dunno. I don’t think he’s hiding. We can find him easy!”

“Okay then. Be seeing you, my friend,” N said warmly, reaching out a hand to scratch Zoroark behind the ears. The fox let out a content grumble before slinking away into the bushes.

 

* * *

 

A couple of minutes of searching later, Jay had decided to flop lazily over N’s shoulder instead. He didn’t mind, but he kept worrying that the Eevee might fall off…

“Maybe I have been a bit too harsh on Ryan,” N sighed, talking more to himself than the Pokémon hanging from his shoulder. “You were there, Eevee. What exactly happened earlier?”

Jay’s ears twitched as he sat up, struggling to find balance on N’s shoulder while the man was walking. “You mean at the school place? Well… the mean person was going to attack Ryan. So I attacked him instead!”

“And nobody’s told you you’re not supposed to attack people?” N asked, a little concerned.

“Well, people don’t usually hurt us, right? I mean, you and Ryan are nice… not sure about the scary lady.”

N laughed quietly. “Touko isn’t scary unless you make her angry. She’d never hurt you. But I suppose you do have a point.”

“Also,” Jay continued, batting at the hair at the side of his face with one paw. “I have a question.”

“Hmm?” N mumbled, lifting a hand to gently nudge the paw away.

“Do all people go on journeys?”

N blinked in surprise. This wasn’t the sort of question he’d expected, especially from a Pokémon. “Well… a lot of them do.”

“Did you?”

“… I guess you could say so. But it wasn’t exactly the same kind of journey.”

“Then why can’t Ryan go on a journey?” Jay asked. “I wanna see what’s outside of this forest!”

“It’s… dangerous outside of the forest,” N replied quietly, remembering a certain Leafeon he’d been unable to save from whatever she’d been through before arriving here. “There’s also a lot of battling. You don’t want to get hurt, do you?”

“No, but that’s why I’ll win the battles!” Jay chirped, puffing out his cheeks. “I wanna be a strong Pokémon! Like Zoroark!”

N sighed inwardly at the Eevee’s words. “It's not quite as simple as that…”

“Jay?”

He froze at the call from somewhere nearby. Instantly the Eevee’s ears pricked and he scrambled back down N’s arm before hopping to the ground, obviously deciding against the almost-six-foot fall otherwise.

“I hear Ryan!” Jay stated, bounding away through the leaves. “He’s nearby! I’ll find him! Follow me!”

“Right…” N muttered, following after the excitable Eevee and wishing he could share his enthusiasm.

 

* * *

 

“Jay, you can come out now! You win, okay?” Ryan called, after spending ten minutes wandering aimlessly around the forest trying to find him. At no response, he let out a defeated sigh. Perhaps Zoroark was having better luck than he was.

It wasn’t long before he heard paws racing through the forest, fallen leaves crunching and rustling as they were flung across the ground. A moment later the bushes shivered, and the Eevee burst out.

“I win!” Jay cheered, galloping over to Ryan and leaping up to cling to his shoulder. “Found you!”

“I thought _you_ were the one who was hiding?” Ryan laughed, as the Eevee scrambled around to his other shoulder before sliding down into his arms instead.

“I was. But you were taking too long,” Jay said matter-of-factly, rolling around in his arms and letting out a loud yawn.

Ryan just smiled — yet it quickly faded at the sound of another voice.

“You’ve done a good job of looking after Eevee, Ryan.”

“Dad…” Ryan looked up to see N standing at the far side of the clearing. At being noticed he gave a cautious smile, approaching to pet the Pokémon. Jay let out a happy purr as he settled more comfortably in the boy’s arms.

Remaining silent for a few moments, Ryan finally let out a quiet sigh. “Dad, I… I’m sorry… for shouting those things at you.” He’d regretted it since the words left his mouth, but he wasn’t going to admit that. Still, after what Zoroark had told him, it had only made him feel even worse. “Didn’t mean it…”

Giving a half-hearted smile, N stepped back. “It's okay. You were angry. People don’t always say things they mean when they’re upset.”

“Yeah…” Ryan mumbled, looking down at the Eevee. Jay had fallen asleep in his arms already, snuggled up against the material of his hoodie and snoring softly.

“Maybe I don’t say this enough,” N said quietly, trying to not wake the sleeping creature. “But I’m proud of you, Ryan. You’ve looked after Eevee and he’s growing up healthily— and has plenty of energy, if Zoroark’s attitude towards him is anything to go by.” He let out a small laugh.

“I… thanks,” Ryan replied, slightly bewildered. When he’d seen his father here he’d expected another lecture about letting the Eevee onto the school grounds, or not ‘respecting’ Pokémon. And that was why, at the praising, he couldn’t help but smile.

“You sound like I never praise you,” N joked. His amused look quickly faded. “Although, on a more serious note… Ryan, you really do care about Pokémon, don’t you?”

“Of course!” Ryan nodded, keeping his voice low as the Eevee’s ears twitched in his sleep.

His father was silent for a moment, looking thoughtful about something as he watched the sleeping Pokémon. His gaze returned to the boy. “Then maybe… maybe I’ll consider letting you go on your own journey. Despite what happened earlier, I know you’ll look after your Pokémon well.”

“Really!?” Ryan gasped, eyes flying wide in surprise and excitement.

“ _Maybe_ ,” N repeated with emphasis. “So don’t do anything that’s going to make me change my mind, okay?”

Ryan gave a determined nod. Trying to stay on his best behaviour for a while might be difficult, but it would be worth it if he could finally leave on a journey of his own!


	6. A New Advenure

As he’d expected, when Ryan returned to the house that day, he was sent back to his room and told not to escape out the window again. This time, he actually suffered through the boredom of his punishment, despite Jay soon waking up from his nap and showing up to sit on the window sill once more. After Ryan explained his reason for not leaving the room this time, the Pokémon had nearly fallen out the window in excitement. Jay was excited to travel beyond the forest too.

Most of the rest of his week had been spent at the library. He managed to persuade his mother to take him there, studying everything he could about Pokémon and battling. Touko seemed quite amused at his enthusiasm, especially when he kept bugging her about her own experiences from years ago, when she’d been on a journey herself.

The thing that had become most apparent to him so far was that leaving on a journey was mainly to help people decide what they wanted to do in life. There were many different paths people could take, from Pokémon breeders to rangers to scientists. Yet what Ryan wanted to do was take the challenge most trainers started at first; collecting eight badges and heading for the Pokémon League. That was the challenge most of the kids at school talked about, and though many people had left with that goal in mind, apparently it was difficult to actually reach – he knew his mother had been the _champion_ of Unova at one point, although she hadn’t kept the position for long. Still, even if Ryan couldn’t make it to the Pokémon League, he’d meet a lot of people and Pokémon. Surely he’d get some idea of what exactly he wanted to do just from seeing what was out there.

And finally, after almost a week of studying, he asked his father whether he’d made a decision. And the answer had been yes.

_Yes_ , he was finally allowed to go.

The following Monday, Ryan had a skip in his step as he made his way to school. Jay hopped along beside him, even more energetic than usual.

“Are we going yet? On a journey? When are we going?” the Eevee asked excitedly.

“Not long now, Jay,” Ryan smiled. “I take it you’re coming with me?”

“Of course!” Jay chirped, tail waving back and forth excitedly. “I wanna see what the world looks like! I bet it’s _loads_ more interesting than the forest!”

“I’m sure it is.” Ryan glanced up at the school gate ahead. “Alright, Jay, no sneaking into the school grounds today, okay? If you want berries later you’ll have to find them in the forest.”

“Aww,” the Eevee whined, ears and tail drooping. “Why?”

“Because I can’t risk getting into any more trouble.” Reaching down to pet the Eevee, Ryan smiled. “I’ll be home this afternoon, okay?”

“Okay,” Jay nodded with begrudging acceptance, turning and racing away through the trees. Hopefully this time he’d actually listen to what Ryan said and stay away from the school.

It wasn’t long after entering the grounds that a voice spoke up.

“Hey, _Harmonica’s_ back! I see you don’t have that dangerous creature with you this time.” Of course it was Liam, waiting for him to show up at school again.

“Sorry, Liam, no time to talk!” Ryan said simply as he ran past, leaving the younger boy looking slightly miffed.

He sprinted into the school building, slowing his pace abruptly as a passing teacher recited the “no running in the corridors!” rule. It didn’t take long for him to navigate the hallways, eventually bursting through the doorway to the almost empty classroom.

Summer looked up in alarm from taking the Braille book out of her bag. “Wha—who’s there!?”

“Only me,” Ryan beamed. “I got some great news!”

The girl looked significantly less worried once she realised who he was. “Oh, Ryan, it’s you. I’m glad you’re back again, but does this great news really require nearly giving me a heart attack?”

“Sorry,” he apologised sheepishly, walking over and dumping his bag under the desk.

“So, what’s the news?” Summer asked, carefully laying her book on the table before doing the same – although less violently.

“Oh, right!” Ryan said cheerily. “Dad’s finally gonna let me become a trainer! I can go on a journey at last!”

“Really?” Summer exclaimed. After a few seconds, her expression changed; more one of sadness than excitement. “Yeah… that’s great! I’m happy for you.”

Noticing the obvious change in mood, Ryan frowned. “What’s wrong…?”

“Nothing… it’s just, you’re leaving.”

_Oh._ Now he understood. With all the other kids their age having left by now, Ryan had been pretty much Summer’s only friend… and now, _he_ was leaving too. This was one side he hadn’t thought of before; the fact that he was going to be leaving people behind. There were some people he was glad to be rid of – the most obvious of which being Liam – but Summer was one of the people he would actually miss.

“Well… at least Liam will stop bugging you because of me now,” Ryan said in an attempt of reassurance. When Summer’s response was little more than a quiet half-hearted laugh, he spoke again. “Hold on. Stay there for a moment.”

“What? Why?” she blinked.

Without a word, Ryan skirted around the desk so that he was standing in front of her. The sightless girl still looked rather confused as she followed the sound of his footsteps. “What are you—” She broke off as he pulled her into a hug.

“I’ll come back. Promise.”

For a brief moment, Summer seemed too surprised to answer. It was a couple of seconds before she finally hugged him back. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll be here when you do.”

 

* * *

 

“Ow! Mum, you’re pulling my hair—!”

“Oh, shush,” Touko sighed, running the brush through the section of hair a few more times now that the knot was gone. “If you brushed your hair more often, you wouldn’t be having this problem!”

Ryan just huffed, folding his arms sulkily and grunting as the brush caught on his hair once more. “Could have just let me go… not as if it matters…”

“Ryan, you’re going to be meeting a lot of new people when you’re travelling. The least you can do is try to keep up your appearance.”

“Right, and brushing my hair makes a _huge_ difference.”

“He’s got a point,” N added from where he was standing in the doorway. “It doesn’t really look much different than before.”

“You can talk,” Touko scoffed. “I don’t even know when the last time was _you_ brushed your hair, N. By now you’d probably break a hairbrush just trying to.”

“Hey!”

“If you don’t think so, then maybe we can try and untangle it later.”

N grimaced. “I’m fine, thanks.” As if he thought Touko was going to go through with the offer right then, he left the room.

Touko rolled her eyes. “Typical. Anyway, Ryan, you’ll feel better if your hair is brushed. It's not just an appearance thing.”

“If you say so,” he mumbled, itching to leave already. He knew he should have tried to make a run for it when his mother walked into his room with a hairbrush in hand.

What seemed like an age later, but was probably only a few minutes, Touko stood back with a smile. “There you go. Done.”

“Finally!” Ryan cheered, jumping off the side of the bed.

“But,” Touko continued, holding out the hairbrush. “Take this with you. You’ll need it.”

With a sigh, Ryan took the brush from her, chucking it into his bag which lay open on the floor. “Fine…”

“You have everything else you need, right?” she checked. “Map? Spare clothes? Toothbrush?”

“Yep, yep and yep,” he nodded.

“What about your trainer card?”

“Here,” he briefly took the card out of his pocket to show her before putting it back.

“Make sure you keep it safe. Have you had a shower this morning?”

“Mhmm.”

“Breakfast?”

“Yes, Mum, I have. Can I go yet?”

“No need to be in such a hurry! Do you even know where you’re going?”

“The gym in town,” Ryan nodded. “You said I should go there first.”

“Right. Since it’s outside the regions, the badge they give there is registered in all of them, and so it’ll count towards the eight needed for the Unova league,” Touko explained. “You might want to battle a couple of trainers beforehand, so you can get used to being a trainer. And remember that N will gladly heal your Pokémon for you if they get tired or hurt, okay?”

“I think ‘gladly’ might be an overstatement,” Ryan muttered.  “Okay!”

“And make sure you come back here before leaving for Unova,” Touko reminded with a half-hearted smile. “You can’t leave without saying goodbye.”

“I’ll come back, don’t worry,” he assured. “Can I go now?”

With a quiet laugh at his impatience, Touko gave a nod. “Yes, you can go now. Just be careful out there.”

 

* * *

 

When Ryan opened the front door, the Eevee was already sat on the front step waiting for him, tail flicking back and forth and ears twitching excitedly.

“Are we going now? Are we?” Jay asked, hopping up and down on the spot.

“Sort of!” Ryan grinned. “I mean, we’re heading for the first gym which is in town, but after that all we have to do is go say bye to everyone and then we can head for Unova!”

“Unova?” Jay exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement. “You mean the place past the lake? Where some of the Pokémon from the forest are from?”

“Mmhmm,” the boy nodded. He started to walk along the path, and Jay trotted after him. “Anyway, Mum said we should probably see if we can find any trainers around town. Gyms are supposed to be pretty tough, so training by having battles is gonna make you stronger.”

“Yes! I get to battle finally!” Jay cheered. “Battling Zoroark is no fun. He’s too strong. My attacks hardly do anything!”

“Well, hopefully the trainers around here won’t have Pokémon as strong as Zoroark,” Ryan shrugged. “What moves do you know?”

“Tackle!” Jay chirped. He ran forward quickly to stand in front of him, and Ryan was forced to stop before he tripped over him by accident. “Oh, oh, and quick attack! And sand attack!” He kicked up a small cloud of dust from the path.

“And I guess you’ve proven you can use bite, too,” Ryan added wryly.

“Yup! But there’s all sorts of cool moves, right? I wanna learn loads!”

“Well, you can only learn four at a time,” Ryan explained. “Once you learn new moves, it’ll be difficult to use the ones you learnt before as well as the new ones, because you won’t be able to practice as much.”

“Aww,” Jay sighed. “Then… then I’ll just get really good at the moves I need to use! Yeah!”

“Exactly,” he smiled. “I guess for now we might as well wander around town and see if there are any trainers around.”

“Ooh! I’ve never been into the town before!”

“There are a lot of people around; I don’t think the forest Pokémon like going there. Sometimes I see Pokémon in town, but they have trainers. Just… don’t run off on your own, Jay. If you get lost while we’re travelling it’ll be even more difficult to find you than when we’re playing hide and seek in the forest.”

“That must be difficult. You can hardly ever find me,” Jay pointed out innocently.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

It was the perfect day to start travelling; the sun was shining down from the sky above, warming the air, but a cool breeze whispered through the trees, so it wasn’t too hot. A couple of clouds lingered in the sky, but they were white and fluffy like a Swablu’s wings, showing no sign of bad weather to follow up the storm they’d had last week. Mid-autumn dew still glistened on the leaves and grass at the side of the path.

They followed the path at the edge of the forest at first. Before long, the concrete road adjacent to it came into view, marking the way into the main part of town. Jay seemed rather overexcited as he stepped onto the tarmac, hopping up and down excitedly to feel the ground underneath his paws. Once he realised Ryan was standing a few metres ahead waiting for him, he scurried over to catch up.

Ryan wasn’t exactly streetwise when it came to the town; he may have spent a lot of time outside, but that was mainly in the forest, and the only times he’d actually been into the centre of town were for school trips or if his parents had taken him there to go shopping. However, he knew that the Pokémon gym was along a street to the west of the clock tower, and he could see the face of it from here, so they shouldn’t get lost.

“Hey! Hey you, with the Eevee!”

“Huh?” Ryan glanced around at the shout. There was a boy, maybe his age or slightly younger, standing at the side of the path, though upon calling out he raced over. An orange cap sat slanted on his head.

“Is that your Pokémon? Are you a Pokémon trainer?”

“Mmhmm!” Ryan nodded with a smile. “I mean, I’m not very experienced yet, but—”

“Great! Me too!” the boy beamed, holding out a Poké ball. “Our eyes have met! I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!”

“A battle! A battle!” Jay cheered.

Deciding not to mention that not every trainer followed the ‘eyes meeting’ rule, Ryan just nodded. They needed to train, after all, and this was the first person to challenge him to a battle. What was he to turn them down? “Okay. Challenge accepted!”


	7. Facing Challenges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This trainer's name was a joke based on almost every region having one of this guy, but let's pretend he's named after a famous rat trainer in the Johto region.

At the battle invitation, Jay hopped forward to stand in front of Ryan, trying to give a fierce growl, although the attempt was thwarted by the excited squeak he let out. This was their first battle, and the Eevee was determined to win.

“Okay!” the other boy shouted. “By the way, my name’s Joey!”

“Ryan.”

“Now then!” Joey pressed the button on the Poké ball. “Go, Patty!”

A Patrat landed lightly on the tarmac, glancing around briefly with its tail twitching. As its gaze landed on the other normal-type Pokémon, it grinned, ringed eyes lighting up. “An opponent!”

“Yes, I’m your opponent!” Jay cheered, jumping forward.

“Jay!” Ryan said hurriedly. “You have to wait for me to tell you what move to use first!”

The Eevee skidded to a halt. “Oh! Okay!”

Ryan gave a small shake of his head. _Typical Jay._ “Okay. Then… use quick attack!”

Quivering with excitement over finally being able to battle, Jay dashed forwards towards the Patrat. It barely had a chance to blink before the Eevee crashed into it and it was sent tumbling backwards, rolling to a halt by its trainer’s feet.

“Wow, your Eevee is fast!” Joey exclaimed. “Patty! Use tackle!”

“Ryan, I did it!” Jay said proudly, padding back towards him. “I hit—“

His sentence was cut off as the Patrat slammed into his side. Jay yelped as the force flung him across the ground, landing as a heap of fur.

Ryan watched with alarm. That looked like it had hurt. “Jay!”

His worry was short-lived, however. The Eevee quickly jumped back to his paws, shaking the grit from his fur. “I’m okay!” His eyes gleamed with determination.

Ryan let out a faint sigh of relief. “Okay. Use quick attack again.”

Repeating the move from before seemed almost effortless to the Eevee. The Patrat braced for impact from the attack, but it wasn’t enough to stop itself from taking any damage from the fast head-on tackle.

A moment later, it collapsed in front of its trainer once more. This time, it let out a defeated sigh. It’d had enough; Ryan and Jay had won the battle!

“Patty!” Joey cried. With a disappointed huff, he sent the small normal-type back to its Poké ball. Then he looked at Ryan and grinned, his attitude doing a complete flip. “Wow, your Eevee is strong! Now I need to go get Patty to the Pokémon Centre. See ya!”

As he raced away, Poké ball in hand, Ryan and Jay were left watching after him, looking somewhat dumbfounded. There was a long silence.

“Well… that was certainly an interesting first battle,” Ryan commented eventually, shifting his fringe out of his face after the breeze pushed it around.

“Is Patty okay?” Jay asked, glancing up at him with wide eyes.

“It will be,” Ryan shrugged. “A defeated Pokémon won’t be able to battle until they’ve rested. That’s why he’s taken Patty to the Pokémon centre; they have a machine that heals them faster.”

“Oh.” The Eevee’s ears twitched. “So… did I win?”

Ryan couldn’t help but smile at how oblivious Jay could be sometimes. “Yes, Jay. You won.”

“I did? I did! I won! I won!” Jay cheered, hopping around excitedly. “I _told_ Zoroark I was strong!”

“That Patrat didn’t hurt you too badly, did it?” he checked. “Didn’t that tackle hurt?”

“I guess,” the Eevee shrugged, tail flicking dismissively. “But I feel better now! If anyone else challenges us to a battle I can beat them too!”

“I’ll take that as meaning we can keep heading for the gym,” Ryan said.

“Yeah!” Jay nodded enthusiastically, running over to jump at Ryan, climbing his arm until he could sit on his shoulder. “Gym battle!”

“I see you can’t walk there on your own then.”

“But I was just in a _battle_!” he huffed. “Battles are tiring!”

Ryan simply rolled his eyes. “Fine, you can stay there. For five minutes.  You’re heavier than you look.”

Jay just gave another quiet huff at the comment, settling on Ryan’s shoulder as the two of them continued further into the village, looking for the gym and any challengers they might meet along the way.

 

* * *

 

It was right on the dot of the hour, the clock chiming from the centre of town, when the building finally came into view. Compared to the rest of the houses and shops nearby, the gym looked rather fancy – and also slightly unnerving.

“Don’t the human buildings usually have… y’know… those holes in the wall you can see through?” Jay asked.

“Usually,” Ryan muttered, noting the gym’s distinct lack of windows. Even though the door was open, all he could see inside was the strip of patterned floor the sunlight made visible.

The gym was a very modern building, painted in black and purple on the outside. The slanted walls and curves at the side of the roof, almost like horns, made the building seem even more unusual.

“This place looks funny,” Jay spoke up at last, pacing around as if he wanted to see the building from different angles.

“This is the gym,” Ryan reminded him. “Or at least, I think it is. The sign says so, anyway.” He glanced at the plaque outside the building once more, just to check.

_Greenway City Pokémon Gym_

_Gym Leader: Ebony_

_“The Shadowed Heart”_

“This is a gym?” Jay asked, hopping up and down on the spot. “Where you get to battle and stuff?”

“We’ve had plenty of battles on the way here, and you’re still excited?” Ryan couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yeah! This is special battles!”

He shrugged. “Fair enough. I guess we can go inside.”

The Eevee hopped onto his shoulder once more as he stepped towards the open door of the gym. They’d battled a couple more trainers on the way here without much trouble – their Pokémon had mainly been Lillipups and Patrats, and Jay had managed to overpower them. By now his fur was a little ruffled, but he didn’t have any injuries from the previous battles, so he was okay to keep going.

Even from the doorway, most of the gym looked pitch black. For a brief moment Ryan wondered if it was even open. As he stood in the thin patch of light, he glanced around curiously. “Hello…?”

As soon as he spoke, the door slammed shut behind them, leaving the pair in total darkness. Jay let out a frightened squeak.

 _I can’t see a thing!_ Ryan glanced around warily, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness but it was taking a lot longer than he expected. What were they supposed to do? He didn’t dare try and move around in the lack of light just in case there was anything – or anyone – around him.

“It's dark…” Jay whimpered quietly, stating the obvious.

“Why, hello there!”

Both the boy and Eevee nearly jumped out of their skin at the sudden voice and a light appearing nearby; the light of a torch held under someone’s face, illuminating their features, causing an eerie over-exaggerated smirk to appear on their face as well as make their eyes disappear in the shadows. Jay let out a terrified yelp, nearly losing his balance on Ryan’s shoulder and hurriedly trying to bury his face in the boy’s hair.

For a moment the eerie face remained, and Ryan took a step back. This was… _creepy_ …

Then the light moved around slightly, revealing a middle-aged man with a smile on his face. “Oh, I’m sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you.” There was a quiet clicking sound, like a button being pressed, and a red-tinted light appeared from above, illuminating a small circle around where they were standing. After being in total darkness the light felt harsh, despite the fact that it wasn’t very intense. “Welcome to the Greenway City dark-type Pokémon Gym!”

“Um… thank you…?” Ryan muttered, still a little shaken. The door to the gym slid ajar, although besides the strip of light and the circle surrounding them it was still impossible to see anything in the rest of the building. Jay curiously brought his face back out from Ryan’s hair to glance around now that the creepy face had vanished.

“First of all, I am the gym guide here! Is this your first gym challenge?”

Ryan nodded.

“In that case…” The man disappeared into the darkness, returning a moment later carrying a thin blue-and-black box. “No pun intended. I’m assuming you don’t have one of these already?”

“What is it?” Ryan asked, glancing at the box before looking back at the guy once more.

“It’s a badge case! This is where you keep all of the gym badges you win from Pokémon Gyms.” He handed the case to Ryan, along with a bottle. “Also, take this fresh water. I’m sure it will come in handy during your battles!”

“Thanks!” Ryan smiled, taking the items, putting the case inside his bag and the bottle in one of the pockets at the side.

“As the guide, it is also my job to explain how this gym works,” the man continued. “As this is the dark-type gym, everything in here is rather… dark.” He laughed at his own joke. “But don’t worry; there isn’t anything to trip over in here. The gym trainers are all nearby. That way,” he pointed in the direction of the back of the gym. “When they see you, they’ll switch one of the lights on before your battle.”

“When they _see_ me?” Ryan blinked. How could anyone see anything in this utter darkness?

The gym guide just winked. “You’ll see. Err… find out. Good luck!”

And with that, the guide vanished into the darkness of the gym.

There was a long silence. Ryan and Jay exchanged a glance.

“This place is creepy,” the Eevee admitted eventually. “Are all gyms like this?”

“Not that I know of. C’mon, let’s keep going…” Quite frankly, the sooner they got this gym battle over and done with, the better. This place was a lot creepier than Ryan expected it to be.

Yet again his eyes refused to adjust to the darkness as they left the tinted spotlight. Ryan wondered if this was what it was like to be blind; he couldn’t see where he was going at all and he found himself walking incredibly slowly as he tried to make sure he didn’t trip over anything. He couldn’t even tell how far he’d come from the entrance of the gym without looking back; the circle of light was the only thing visible in the entire room. Every now and then Jay would press closer to him, as if trying to reassure himself that the trainer was still there.

It wasn’t long before another red-tinted bulb suddenly clicked on above. After the darkness, Ryan instinctively held a hand up to shield his eyes from the light.

“Aha! A challenger!”

He glanced around at the voice, trying to work out where it had come from. It was impossible to tell until a girl walked into the circle of light. She was wearing dark-coloured clothes, but the most notable thing about her was the strange thing she was wearing on her face; it looked like an odd pair of goggles. A Purrloin padded after her, winding itself around her leg.

“You’re going to have to beat us first if you want to challenge the gym leader,” the girl stated, taking off the odd-looking accessory. Noticing Ryan watching it curiously, she grinned. “Night-vision goggles. Helps in a place as dark as this.”

“Oh,” he blinked. “Right.”

The Purrloin slunk from her shadow, sitting calmly within the circle of light and licking a paw to run over its ears. Its tail snaked back and forth.

“Ready, Jay?” Ryan checked.

“Yeah!” the Eevee chirped, jumping to the ground, taking a moment to paw at the square tiles on the floor before taking up a battle position, ears twitching excitedly.

“Okay then. Quick attack!”

The Purrloin was too intent on grooming itself to notice in time. With a yowl of surprise it was bowled over by the attack, lashing out one paw as it fell but missing Jay entirely. It quickly climbed back to its paws with a huff, twitching an ear.

“Keon, growl!”

Flicking his tail to let his trainer know he had received the command, the Purrloin calmly sat back on the tiles, letting out a quiet growl, putting on an innocent expression as he looked to the Eevee.

“Huh…?” Jay blinked, looking very confused as he tipped his head to one side.

 _It’s trying to lower his attack…_ “Don’t worry about it, Jay, just use quick attack again!”

“Okay…” the Eevee mumbled, still seeming unsure. Even so, he shot forward again. The attack wasn’t as powerful this time, but it was enough to unbalance the cat Pokémon. As he fell to the ground, Keon attempted to get back up, but he was definitely defeated.

“Return, Keon,” the trainer called, sending the Purrloin back to his Poké ball with a flash of light, made brighter than usual by the darkness of the room. Once that was done, she smiled at the boy. “You’re a pretty strong trainer already. You might just stand a chance against the gym leader.”

“Thanks… why, is she tough?” He had to question after that warning.

“She’s a gym leader; she has to be!” the trainer laughed. “It might be a tough battle without fighting- or bug-type Pokémon, but your Eevee seems pretty strong. Oh, and the gym leader is that-a-way.” She pointed into the darkness behind her.

“Okay. Thank you!” Ryan nodded. _I don’t get cool glasses or anything then. Shame._


	8. The Shadowed Heart

A line of crimson spotlights marked the path ahead. They had appeared after defeating the next trainer – a guy with two Purrloins – and now a small row of stairs at the far end of the gym were visible, leading the way into more darkness above. That must be where the gym leader was waiting. Even so, it seemed strangely foreboding, red carpet covering the stairs and a dreary-looking welcome mat thrown at the bottom as if as a bad joke.

By now, Jay was starting to get tired. It was easy to tell, since the Eevee was flopped over his shoulder, panting slightly as he tried to get his breath back after all the battles.

“You wanna stop for a rest, Jay?” Ryan asked, halting in the path of light.

“No, I can… keep fighting…” the Eevee replied breathlessly.

Ryan just rolled his eyes, picking up the small Pokémon and lifting him off his shoulder, placing him on the ground instead. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to try and fight the gym leader when you’re worn out. Their Pokémon are well-known for being really strong.” He pulled the bottle from the side pocket of his bag. “Want some water?”

“Mmhmm,” Jay nodded slowly, ears lifting a smidgen as he sat down on the tiles.

“Well, I don’t have a bowl or anything, so…” Ryan muttered mainly to himself, staring at the bottle of water for a moment before shrugging and opening the cap. “Okay, just try not to spill any. We might get in trouble for that.”

As Ryan held the bottle near the ground, Jay sniffed at it for a moment before reaching up to get to the water inside. Ryan found that he had to keep a firm hold of it so it didn’t spill. Jay was apparently really thirsty, and it wasn’t until the bottle was empty that he finally sat back, licking at the stray drops of water that clung to his muzzle.

Returning the empty bottle to his bag since there was no bin in sight, Ryan stood back up, glancing at the stairs ahead.  “Okay. You ready?”

“Yeah!” Jay gave a little skip, hopping into a battle position for the challenge ahead. A moment later his ears twitched, and he jumped back up onto Ryan’s shoulder instead. The boy just rolled his eyes. For a Pokémon that seemed to always have boundless energy, Jay sure could be lazy…

He headed along the path of light, taking the stairs cautiously as his shadow blotted them out in front of him. There weren’t that many steps, maybe ten or so, but tripping would still be painful. That was probably why they actually lit the path this time, rather than expecting him to navigate the darkness.

Once he reached the top of the staircase, another light flickered on above, illuminating the arena. Ryan took a step forward, wondering what he was supposed to do now. Where was the gym leader…?

His question was answered soon enough. A figure stepped into the light up ahead; a woman with waist-length black hair, and a red feather held in it like the ear of a Sneasel. Her pale skin was illuminated by the overhead lights, and a Gothitelle-style dress swayed just above the ground as she walked. She carried a Poké ball in one black-gloved hand. Her attire was definitely fitting for a dark-type leader.

“So, you are the latest challenger, correct?” She spoke low and smoothly. Despite the question, she didn’t wait for an answer before continuing. “I am Ebony. Commander of dark-type Pokémon from the shadows.”

_Well, that’s not hard to believe,_ Ryan thought to himself, casting a split-second glance around at the room’s darkness.

“And who might you be?”

“Uh… my name’s Ryan,” he stated. “This is my first gym battle…”

“Your first gym battle, huh?” she repeated, walking towards him. He resisted the urge to take a step back, knowing the stairs were behind him. However, her inspecting glare suddenly grew lighter, eyes gleaming as she noticed the Pokémon on his shoulder. “An Eevee! You have an Eevee! Oh, it’s so adorable!”

Ryan couldn’t help but blink in surprise – so much for ‘the shadowed heart’. Jay let out a happy chirp as the gym leader reached out a hand to pet his ears.

“Um…” He wasn’t sure how to react to that sudden change of character.

“Hmm? Oh, right. Gym battle. Sorry.” Ebony took a step back, brushing the hair from her face sheepishly.  Strolling back over to her side of the arena, she flashed a smile. “Don’t worry. Most of the challengers we get here are inexperienced with gym challenges. That doesn’t mean I go easy on them, though!”

“That’s fine,” Ryan shrugged. It wouldn’t mean anything if the battle was made easier for him. Picking up on the atmosphere, Jay jumped to the ground, seeming surprised at the softness of the carpet under his paws.

“In that case, let the battle begin.” Ebony held up her Poké ball, enlarging it to its original size before pressing the button on the capsule. “Angel!”

The flash of red light caused by the Pokémon being released was harsh against the darkness of the room. As he waited for it to fade, Ryan wondered what species it would be. It was going to be at least half dark-type, he knew that much…

A moment later, the light vanished. The Pokémon stepped forwards to inspect the opposition through narrowed eyes, long tail whisking back and forth.

_A Liepard!_

The cat-like Pokémon padded calmly around Jay. The Eevee stepped away, a quiet growl rising in his throat. At the smaller Pokémon’s hostility, Angel huffed and instead turned to inspect the trainer.

“Hello there. Do you have anything shiny or valuable?” The cat’s eyes gleamed slightly.

“Angel, what have I told you about pestering the challengers?” Ebony sighed. “It's time for a battle!”

At her trainer’s words, Angel padded back over to their own side of the arena. She cast a glance back anyway, letting out a quiet purr. “Well, if you do, I will know soon enough.”

Ryan couldn’t help but smile slightly. He’d heard that Liepard were often known to seek out valuable items, and it seemed that was correct.

Alright then, time to get this battle started. “Jay, tackle.”

“Angel, fake out!”

As Jay ran towards her, the Liepard hopped forwards, clapping her paws together just inches from his face. The Eevee let out a surprised peep, skidding to a halt before scrambling backwards and looking highly confused as to what had just happened.

After the initial squeal she let out about how ‘adorable’ the Eevee was, Ebony gained a slight smirk. “Okay now, Angel. Use scratch!”

Still slightly dazed from the previous move, Jay didn’t stand a chance at evading. A loud wail split through the air, echoing around the room, as the cat’s claws slashed across the Eevee’s side. He was thrown back across the arena, flopping to the ground in a mess of fur.

“Jay!”

For a moment, it looked like the normal-type had been defeated— yet he managed to climb back to his paws.

“That was _mean_!” he wailed, glaring at the Liepard with a huff. She simply flicked her tail.

Ryan rolled his eyes, letting out a quiet sigh of relief even so. At least they wouldn’t be able to pull that trick again. Fake out would only work when used as a first move. Still, battling a gym leader was a lot tougher than he’d expected. And to add to that, Ebony most likely had more than one Pokémon too…

“Okay then, Jay… use quick attack.”

The new injury not hampering his speed, Jay zipped forwards to crash into the Liepard’s side. The cat Pokémon was too big for him to knock over, but the attack still did a decent amount of damage. As Angel was forced backwards with an irritated hiss, Jay hopped away before he could get swatted by her paw.

“Angel, use payback!”

_No!_ That move would be extremely powerful after the Liepard had just been hit. The second Ryan saw the cat’s eyes glowing slightly, he knew they were going to have to do something.

“Jay, sand attack!”

Ears twitching, Jay spun and scraped the ground with his hind paws. There may not have been any actual sand on the floor, but there was still dust, and the move caused a cloud of it to form, obscuring the Liepard’s view. Realising Angel was going to attack him, Jay hurriedly scrambled away, out of range of her attack. The miss stirred up even more dust and the cat growled, trying to look around but having difficulty seeing past the dust illuminated by the lights.

“Now, use tackle!”

At the call, Jay nodded and raced towards the Liepard, jumping so that the focus of his attack was the cat’s head. The dust swirled around, blotting out the view. A shriek from Angel told him the attack had hit, but he couldn’t see what had happened to Jay.

A moment later some of the dust parted slightly, the Eevee racing out to skip over to him. The Liepard, on the other hand, had fallen to the ground, defeated.

“Oh, Angel!” Ebony gasped, sending the tired cat back to her Poké ball.

“I did it! I did it!” Jay cheered, hopping around excitedly.

“Yes, you did,” Ryan smiled, reaching down to pet the Eevee’s head. He squeaked happily at the attention.

“The battle is not over yet!” Ebony stated, taking another Poké ball from her sleeve. “You may have defeated Angel, but is your Eevee strong enough to challenge Albion?”

_Albion…?_ The echo of the name was the entering call as Ebony tossed the Poké ball into the air. A flash of red light, a fluttering of wings, and the Pokémon landed elegantly in the ring of light.

“Good day, young one. I presume you must have been the one to defeat Angel?”

_It’s a Honchkrow! I’ve never seen one of them in real life before…!_

“I am! I am!” Jay nodded proudly, hopping forward.

Albion’s eyes gleamed with amusement for a second. “Well, child, I doubt you will be able to beat me as well.”

The Honchkrow was strong, Ryan could tell. Yet still, he was confident Jay would be able to win this fight. “Jay, use quick attack!”

The fast hit landed its target, sending the bird reeling back with a surprised squawk. He took off into the air, although not flying higher than Jay was capable of jumping. Albion puffed out his chest feathers, as if that would make him more intimidating. The Eevee attempted to do the same but ended up turning into a ball of fluff.

Ebony tried to suppress her quiet gasp, before setting her attention back to the actual battle rather than the adorable Pokémon. “Now, Albion! Pursuit!”

Giving a small salute from the air, the Honchkrow dived forwards. Seeing the attack coming, Jay tried to run but wasn’t fast enough, and soon the large bird had him pinned under his talons.

“Lemme go! Lemme go!” the Eevee wailed, flailing as he tried to escape. It was no good. He was trapped.

“Jay!” Ryan cried. _Oh Arceus, what can we do?_ Jay wouldn’t be able to attack while he was trapped like that, and sand attack wouldn’t do anything when the bird had already got him pinned…

Wait. Maybe there _was_ something he could do.

“Jay, you gotta escape! Use bite!”

The attack wouldn’t be that effective against a dark-type, he knew, but right now it was probably the only way the Eevee could escape. Writhing around under the bird’s talons, Jay finally managed to move so he could sink his teeth into Albion’s leg. The Honchkrow let out a screech, immediately letting go of the normal-type and giving a strong flap of his wings to back away.

“Now, use tackle!”

“Albion, wing attack!”

The bird ruffled his feathers, readying his wings as he prepared to jump back into the air once more. Yet before he got the chance, the Eevee slammed into his chest, throwing him back across the arena. Once he landed, he tried to get back up, but only succeeded in falling down again, winded.

“Very well… you have won, child.”

“Yay!” Jay cheered, overly happy as usual despite the serious battle. He skipped back over to Ryan, hopping up onto his hind legs to rest his paws on the boy’s knee. “I won, I won!”

“Yes!” Ryan laughed, picking up the small creature to hug him. “I think…”

Ebony flashed him a light smile. “You’ve defeated all of my Pokémon. Well done.” She held out an arm for Albion, who managed to summon the energy to fly up to perch on her shoulder, still looking tired from the battle as he settled. “Considering this was your first gym battle, I think you did really well! I’m assuming the guide gave you a badge case when you got here?”

Ryan nodded, placing the Eevee back down so he could retrieve the case from his bag. By the time he’d done so, Ebony had vanished.

“Huh…?”

A moment later, the lights flickered on in the gym. They were dim compared to the spotlights, but the whole room was now visible. The gym wasn’t as large as it had seemed when he was trekking through the darkness, but there was definitely a lot of unused space.

“Here,” Ebony spoke up, returning to the arena. She held out one hand, something glinting in the light in contrast to her black gloves. It was a small piece of metal, shaped into something that looked a bit like an Absol’s horn, yet was decorated with yellow rings, like the markings of an Umbreon. “This is the Umbra badge; proof of your gym victory.”

“Whoa…” Ryan’s eyes widened slightly as he took the pin, placing it in the first slot of the case.

“And this too.” The gym leader held a hand up to the Honchkrow on her shoulder; he was holding something in his beak.  At the prompt, he placed it in Ebony’s open hand. It looked like a cased disk of some sort. “This is TM66, Payback. It can be used to teach the move to a Pokémon.”

“Wow, thank you!” Ryan smiled gratefully as she handed him the disk.

They’d done it. They’d won their first gym battle!

 

* * *

 

The sun was low in the sky by the time the boy and Eevee returned to the forest path.  Shadows from the trees stretched across the grass and the woods were alive with the sounds of wild Pokémon.

“That was fun!” Jay cheered happily, running circles around Ryan. It was amazing that he still had energy to spare after that battle. “Oh! Oh! Do I get to learn a new move? Like that one the lady gave you? The shiny round one?”

“I don’t think you _can_ ,” Ryan pointed out. As determined as the Eevee was, he wouldn’t be able to learn payback. At Jay’s somewhat downcast look, Ryan gave a friendly smile. “I’m sure you’ll learn some new moves eventually.”

“Ooh, really?” the Eevee’s eyes lit up.

“Mmhmm,” he nodded.  “Even more so after you evolve, though the kind of moves depends on what you evolve into.”

Jay let out an excited squeak, jumping on the spot a couple of times before he continued after Ryan, his tail swaying with enthusiasm.

Ryan just smiled, his gaze returning to the path ahead. Noticing a familiar figure as they neared the house, his pace quickened to a run, with the Eevee racing after him to keep up. “Mum!”

“Hm? Oh, Ryan!” Touko waved as the two of them approached. “I was just checking to make sure they actually remembered to empty our bins today. Did you find the gym?”

“More than just _found_ it!” He presented her with the badge case, showing the shiny pin inside with a big grin on his face.

“You got the gym badge!” Touko’s eyes shone with pride as she pulled him into a quick hug. “Well done!” Jay reached up to paw at her leg, clearly wanting some attention too, and she reached down with a smile to pet the Eevee’s head. “It’s getting pretty late, though. If you leave for Unova now it’ll be dark before you get there. Why don’t you stay home for one more night and head off tomorrow? I’m sure Jay could use a rest after that gym battle.”

“Well…” Ryan cast a glance up at the orange-tinted sky. He really wanted to properly begin his journey, but his mother was right, too. Unova might not have been that far away, but it wasn’t right around the corner either, and even with Jay to protect him, travelling at night still sounded dangerous – and creepy, especially after having to walk through the pitch blackness in the gym. “Can Jay stay too? Please?”

At the request, the corners of Touko’s mouth tugged at a frown. Glancing down at the puppy-dog eyes Jay was giving her, however, that frown soon turned into a half-hearted smile. “Okay, okay. But just this once. And I suppose I’ll have to make that perfectly clear to N too.” She rolled her eyes with a laugh.

“Yay!” Jay cheered, jumping into the boy’s arms.

Ryan couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks, Mum!”

“Just don’t make a mess, little guy,” Touko warned, tapping the Eevee’s nose and causing him to go momentarily cross-eyed. “Anyway, you’d better to get some rest – both of you. You’ve got a big day ahead of you tomorrow!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jay was a little overpowered in this battle; don't worry, that changes later!


	9. Farewell

”… You’re not going to make me brush my hair again, are you?”

Touko rolled her eyes with a laugh. “ _Honestly_ , Ryan. Yes, but you can do it yourself. It’ll only take a minute.”

“ _Fine_ ,” Ryan sighed, fetching the hairbrush from his bag before sitting back at the table to brush his hair, staring at the map laid out before him. It was a map of Unova, showing all the cities and their biggest landmarks. Soon, he’d be heading there himself.

“Studying the route?” Touko smiled, sliding the map across the table– much to his annoyance – to lay a plate in front of him. Still, Ryan wasn’t complaining; he liked pancakes. “Want the opinion of someone who’s travelled Unova?”

“Mmhmm,” Ryan nodded, knowing better than to speak when he’d just shovelled half a pancake into his mouth.

“Well, when you head out for Unova you’ll have to cross the lake. Look, you can see the side of it here.” She pointed to the very top of the map, then to an icon at the south of the blue patch. “This is where the port is. Since you don’t have a Pokémon with surf, you’ll need to take the ferry. Once you’ve crossed the lake, just keep heading south and you should arrive at Route 9.”

“Mmkay.” He watched the path she was pointing out; it wasn’t that complicated, he could keep it memorised easily.

“There are a couple of places you should probably go though. It might be a bit of a hike, but if you head down to Nuvema Town you should visit the professor there; she’s the one who gave me my first Pokémon, and she often helps new trainers, so you should definitely go and see her.”

“Nuvema Town? That’s right at the bottom of the map!”

“I know, I know, but it’s an important place!” Touko insisted. “You should visit Mum while you’re there, too. She hasn’t seen you in years.”

“Eh, sure.” The last time he’d seen his grandmother he’d probably been around six years old. Still, at least that meant he could remember where her house was.

“Also, if you’re planning on challenging the gyms, you should go here too,” she added, pointing to a place in the southwest. “Aspertia City. There are a lot of trainers who start their journeys around there, so the gym shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. Not to mention, the gym leader is a friend.” Touko smiled. “You remember Cheren, right?”

“I think so…” Ryan could vaguely remember who Cheren was, but putting a face to the name was difficult.

“Okay. Well, now you know where to head first. Have you had enough to eat?” she asked, noting his now-empty plate.

“Yup,” Ryan nodded. He glanced over his shoulder to where Jay sat in the corner, eating a bowl of Pokémon food. By now, the Eevee was licking the empty bowl, trying to find any remaining traces of food. “I think Jay’s finished too.”

“You two eat so fast,” Touko laughed, glancing down at her own plate which was still full of pancakes. “Anyway, you should head out soon. Go see if you can get your father up, will you? You know N; he’ll sleep for half the day otherwise, and he won’t want to miss the start of your journey.”

“Okay.” Ryan climbed down from the chair and skipped away in the direction of his parents’ room. Jay, in the meantime, scampered over to hop onto the empty chair, watching Touko with hopeful eyes.

The woman just giggled, patting his head. “No, silly. You’ve had enough food already.”

 

* * *

 

Sure enough, N was still asleep, almost hidden beneath the covers. Ryan walked up to the side of the bed and shook his arm. “C’mon, Dad, get up.”

N just moved his arm away. “Five more minutes…” His voiced was muffled as he buried his face deeper in the pillow.

“Da-ad,” he groaned, and glanced over at the clock. “It’s 9AM.”

“Too early…”

With an irritated huff, Ryan decided that there was only one way to get him up. He jumped up and flopped onto the bed, landing on his father. “Dad, _get up_!”

“ _Oof_ —ow! Ryan--! Gerroff…”

“No.” He rolled over to sit on him instead. “I’m not waiting ‘til midday to leave just because you’re lazy!”

Letting out a tired groan, N tried to roll over and push Ryan off him, but with the weight on his back he wasn’t able to and just let out a defeated sigh instead. “Too tired to get up…”

“ _Dad_!”

Obviously anticipating his failed attempt, there was soon a call from the kitchen. “N, if you don’t get up soon you’re going to miss breakfast! Pancakes!”

At the mention of food, N lifted his head at last. “Okay, okay, I’m up.”

Rolling his eyes, Ryan slid off the bed. “Hurry up! I’m leaving soon!”

“Right…” N yawned loudly, sitting up at last and rubbing at his eyes. “If you’re just waiting around, you could always go get some berries from the garden to take with you. They’ll probably come in handy.”

“Okay,” Ryan nodded. Picking berries wasn’t the most fun task, but it was certainly better than sitting around doing nothing.

 

* * *

 

“Jay, I know you’re eating the berries. Stop it.”

“Huh!?” The Eevee glanced up at him, wide-eyed, hurriedly pushing a half-eaten oran berry behind him. “I’m not!”

Ryan just tutted, going back to plucking a few pecha berries. They were a cure for poison, so it would probably be good to take a bunch with him. “You can finish that one, but no more. The berries here were planted to help Pokémon when they’re sick or injured.”

“Humph.” Jay gave a quiet huff before eating the rest of the berry. “ _Fine_ …”

“I think we’ve got enough here,” Ryan decided, closing up the small yet stuffed bag. “Okay, let’s get back inside. Dad’s probably up by now. Probably.”

The two of them headed back around the side of the house to the front door, Jay still trying to lick the traces of berry from his fur. Sometimes it was surprising quite how much that Eevee could eat. By the time they got back inside, N was finally up and dressed, attempting to finish a plate of pancakes while fighting off Touko who was trying to flatten down his scruffy green hair.

“Touko, Ryan’s back now. He’s the one who’s heading out, not me!” N huffed. “Go fuss over him instead.”

“No thank you,” Ryan said loudly as he passed by to put the sachet of berries in his bag, making sure it wouldn’t get squished. Jay still looked disappointed.

“Ryan is mature enough to brush his own hair, unlike _some_ people,” Touko tutted, trying to shift N’s overgrown fringe from his face and getting a grumble of protest in response.

“With you insisting he did, I bet.”

“Pretty much,” Ryan confirmed.

“Honestly, you two.” Touko sighed. Deciding to let it slide, she glanced over at Ryan instead. “Anyway, I guess you want to leave soon. Have you got everything you need?”

“Yeah.” He rummaged through his bag for a moment to check. _Clothes, first aid, toothbrush, Poké balls…_ “I got everything.”

“What about a hairband? Might be worth taking one of them.”

“… Really? Mum, you’re obsessed with appearances.”

“It's not about _appearances_ ,” she frowned. “But you might need to tie your hair back. Especially if it gets warm or when you go through Route 4.”

“Fine, fine…” Ryan grumbled, going to look for one in his room.

He returned a few minutes later, shoving the hair band into one of the pockets of his bag. “Okay, now I got everything. Can I go now?”

Having realised he wasn’t going to get any more food, Jay had curled up on N’s lap instead, looking half asleep as he was petted. Yet at Ryan’s words his ears twitched, and he immediately climbed back to his paws and hopped to the ground, scampering over to Ryan.

“You’re in such a hurry to leave; are we really that terrible?” Touko joked with a half-hearted smile. “You’ll be gone for quite some time…”

He would. That was right, and something he hadn’t really thought too much about. He’d be leaving home, leaving the places and people he knew. And well, even if he found them to be annoying at times, he was really going to miss his parents. Enough that, even though it made him feel like a little kid, he could feel tears welling in his eyes…

The next thing he knew, he’d run over to his mother. Realising in time, Touko held her arms out to catch him in a hug.

“It’s okay. We’ll miss you too,” she smiled, addressing what he hadn’t wanted to say out loud. “And you have your Xtransciever, right? You can call us any time. We’ll want to know how things are going.” She released him from the embrace, brushing the fringe from his eyes with one hand and kissing his forehead. “You have a good time on your journey, okay? And don’t do anything reckless.”

“Yes, Mum,” he nodded, irritably wiping away the kiss with his sleeve and earning a quiet laugh from his mother.

Seeming jealous of all the attention, Jay had skipped over to Touko as well, looking up at her with twitching ears. Noticing the Eevee, the woman smiled, reaching down to pet the small normal-type. “And you look after Ryan, okay? I don’t want you two getting into any more trouble!”

“Yes! I’ll look after him!” Jay squeaked proudly, fluffy chest puffing out and tail flicking from side to side.

Touko couldn’t understand what he’d said, but she still laughed at the response. “Okay. I’m counting on you, little guy!”

The Eevee stood even taller.

Distracted by watching them, Ryan hadn’t expected something to suddenly hook under his arms. The next thing he knew, he was being lifted into the air in a hug.

“Wha—Dad, put me down—!” he protested.

N laughed. “You’re a lot heavier than you were five years ago… okay, okay.” He carefully lowered him back to the ground, realising he wouldn’t be able to hold the weight of the 12-year-old for long.

Once he had his feet firmly back on the ground once more, Ryan was left looking up at his father for a moment. He still felt bad about shouting at him, even if that had been more than a week ago now. He really did like him, he wouldn’t want any other father, but he didn’t know how to say that. So instead he simply held out his arms for a hug.

Blinking in surprise at the motion, N soon gave a half-hearted smile. He had to crouch because of the height difference, but he soon pulled him into an embrace. “You need to work on getting taller,” he joked. “Look after yourself and your Pokémon out there. And if you see anyone who dares to mistreat their Pokémon—”

“N,” Touko sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Well—just be cautious.” He gave a small laugh as he stood back up, although there was a serious look in his eyes. “Look out for your friends, okay? But well, like your mother said, don’t do anything reckless…”

“I know, I know,” Ryan mumbled, not wanting this to turn into a lecture. “I’ll be careful.”

“Remember to call, too,” Touko added. “And make sure you go see your grandmother and Professor Juniper!”

He nodded, glancing over at Jay. The Eevee looked full of energy as always, hopping excitedly, and ready to head off on an adventure.

“You become a great trainer, alright?” Touko smiled.

“I will!” he gave a determined nod. With that said, he headed for the door, Jay following quickly. They were faced with another clear-skied day, sunlight illuminating the grass and the forest beyond. “Bye!” He called, as he started along the garden path.

His parents’ wishes of farewell were his leaving note. Ryan hesitated at the edge of the garden, glancing back briefly to give one final wave. Jay tried to imitate him, waving one paw, though the action proved to be a lot more difficult for the Eevee.

With one final long look back at his home, Ryan turned and headed into the forest.

_Unova, here we come!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning this story is... veeeery slow, and although the chapters were kinda short I didn't want to combine any of them because it'd throw off the numbering later (and I'd have to think of more titles for them, hah). HOWEVER, we're off to Unova in the next chapter, and things start to pick up there. Immediately. Unova is a good place.


	10. Welcome to Unova

They covered the first half of the forest at a quick pace, but Ryan soon realised he was going to get worn out if he tried to run all the way to the docks. Jay had boundless energy as usual, skipping around him excitedly even when he slowed to a walk.

“We’re going on an adventure!” he squeaked, running in circles.

“Finally!” Ryan grinned, picking up on the Eevee’s excitement. “So don’t make yourself dizzy just yet.”

Hurriedly Jay stopped spinning, falling into step beside the trainer instead. As he trotted along, his ears twitched curiously. “Where are we going? Are there going to be more battles? Can I fight and get stronger?”

“Of course! And before long, we might be able to beat _really strong_ trainers too!” He gave a fist pump to emphasise his words. “I mean, we might need to find some more Pokémon to join us to make our team stronger, since there are some trainers who have up to six Pokémon with them, but I’m sure we can still win!”

“More Pokémon?” Jay asked, the slightest trace of disappointment in his voice.

It was enough for Ryan to pick up on, at least. “Don’t worry, Jay. I’m sure you’ll be good friends with the Pokémon we find!”

“Okay…”

“And you know what? No matter what Pokémon join us, you’ll still be my best friend.”

“Really?” The Eevee’s eyes lit up. “Yay!” He ran forward slightly to jump onto a nearby rock. “You’ll always be my best friend too— _whoa_!”

Jay wasn’t the only one who looked surprised when he fell straight through the rock.

“Um… Jay?” Ryan blinked in surprise. A moment later, everything was explained. The rock illusion faded, revealing the old Zoroark, an Eevee on his head.

“Can I not go anywhere without someone falling on me?” the fox huffed, shaking Jay off.

“Uh… sorry, Zoroark,” Ryan apologised sheepishly as the Eevee fell to the ground with an ‘ _oof’_.

“Zoroark! Zoroark!” Jay squeaked. “We’re going on a journey!”

“You are?” Zoroark was silent for a moment before a look of realisation flashed through his eyes. “Oh, yes. Now I remember. Natural was telling me about that not long ago. You’re heading over to Unova to become one of those… _trainers_ , correct?”

The fox had spat the word ‘trainers’ like it was a bad taste. Zoroark hadn’t exactly had good experiences with humans in the past. “Don’t worry, Zoroark. I’ll be one of the good ones. Promise!”

“Well, I guess we can trust you not to intentionally hurt anyone,” the dark-type muttered, wandering over to briefly ruffle the boy’s hair with one paw, being careful not to claw him by accident. “And I doubt Jay will be causing any serious injuries for a while yet.”

“Hey!”

“We won’t, don’t worry.” Ryan managed to lift the paw away from his head, flattening his hair back down with his other hand. “We’ll miss you, Zoroark.”

The fox was silent for a moment, a quiet grumble echoing in his throat. “Yeah… I guess it won’t really be the same without you here either, kiddo.”

With a smile knowing that was probably the closest Zoroark would go to admitting he was going to miss them, Ryan reached up to hug the fox. Zoroark seemed surprised by the action, but he didn’t complain, patting the boy’s back with one paw before he was released from the embrace.

“I’m not sure how long we’ll be away, but… we’ll see you when we get back, okay, Zoroark?”

“And I can enjoy not having you lot disturbing the peace around here,” the fox mumbled, a smirk on his face as usual. “Good luck on your journey. I’m going to find somewhere quiet to go back to sleep…”

Ryan waved as the dark-type slunk away through the bushes. Jay watched him go, ears twitching.

“I wanna be like Zoroark someday!” the Eevee said, eyes shining in awe.

“What, you want to be a grumpy old fox?”

“No, I wanna be a strong Pokémon!” Jay squeaked excitedly, running in another circle.

“Of course,” Ryan laughed. “Come on, let’s hurry up and get to the docks before the boat leaves.” He started off along the path once more.

“Okay! Okay!” Jay scurried after him. “What’s a boat?”

 

* * *

 

“ _That_ is a boat, Jay.”

“ _Whoa_ …!”

It had only taken ten minutes to reach the far end of the forest. Now a slope stretched out before them, leading down to the lake, and the view from here was amazing.

The lake water glimmered in the sun, throwing flashes of light around as the breeze rippled the water. Not far away, at the bottom of the slope, a wooden pier reached out over the water. A couple of boats were docked there, the most noticeable being the passenger ferry that stood out among the crowd of rowing boats. A sailor was stationed on the pier, welcoming passengers aboard.

“Let’s hurry; I think they’re leaving soon,” Ryan said, heading down the slope. Jay let out an excited squeak before hurrying after him, hopping up onto the boy’s shoulder so he wouldn’t get left behind.

It wasn’t long before the grass underfoot gave way to wood, and Ryan’s footsteps thudded on the pier below as he ran towards the ship. There weren’t many people around today; the Greenway ferry was only a small service, used mainly by people travelling to and from the town.

“Hello there!” the sailor waved. “Are you heading off somewhere, boy?”

“Yeah!” Ryan halted in front of him, Jay nearly losing his balance. “We’re going to Unova!”

“Ah, heading out on an adventure, I take it?” the man asked, tipping his hat back. As Ryan nodded in response, he continued. “Well, you take care over there, son. Can you show me your trainer card?”

After Ryan presented the card for him to see, the sailor nodded and stepped aside, allowing him to board the boat. With a thank you and a wave, Ryan stepped onto the gangplank.

It wasn’t a massive ship, but it was big enough that the rocking of the water was almost unnoticeable underfoot. There were probably no more than fifteen or so passengers on board. As they waited for the boat to leave the dock, Ryan headed towards the bow of the ship. He wasn’t a huge fan of being on the water, avoiding looking down as he placed his hands on the railing and gazed towards the horizon. The Eevee on his shoulder climbed around to sit atop his bag instead so there was less danger of him falling off into the water.

Ryan could see the land in the distance. _Unova_. From here, he could see mostly forest, but there was one area to the east where the ground was a lot higher, almost like mountains. That was where the Pokémon League was – and that was where they were aiming for.

 

* * *

 

A twenty-minute boat journey across the lake, and the ship docked at the other side. The boy and Eevee were the first passengers off the ship, racing for the land end of the pier, jumping onto the grass.

“This is it! We’re here! We’re in Unova!” Ryan whooped, jumping in excitement. Wow, he was acting as excitable as Jay right now.

Although, the Eevee seemed even more excited than he did.  “Yay! Unova! Unova! We’re in Unova!” After frolicking around for a moment he stopped to paw at the ground. “Huh… doesn’t feel much different than the forest.”

“It may not seem that different at first, but we’re finally here! We’re here in Unova!” It still hadn’t quite sunk in yet. It wasn’t that long ago he’d been told he wasn’t allowed to go on a journey, and now here they were, in the region…!

His cheering was soon cut off however as he noticed that some of the people around him were giving him odd stares.

“Um… heh…” he grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Whether the people had been staring because of how loud he was being or for the fact he’d been talking to a Pokémon, he wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t overly keen on being the centre of attention. At his embarrassment, though, the attention was lost, a couple of the passersby giving amused smiles, and there was a quiet mutter of ‘kids’ from somewhere.

“Why were those people looking at us?” Jay blinked.

“Never mind, Jay. Let’s just find out where to go.”

Heading across the grass and deciding not to take the direct path after the other passengers from the boat, Ryan settled in the shelter of a tree, dropping his bag at the base of it and retrieving the map. As he sat on the grass, eyes scanning the paper, Jay put his paws up against the boy’s leg to try and see what he was looking at.

Shifting his arm so that the Eevee would be able to see, he pointed to the boat icon at the edge of the lake. “This is where we are now. If we head directly south of here for a while, we should come out somewhere near… Route 9?”

Jay just stared at the map for a moment, ears twitching slightly before he glanced back over at the water. “But the lake is much bigger than that…”

“Scale image, Jay,” Ryan rolled his eyes. With one last long look at the map, he folded it back into his bag, standing up. “It shouldn’t take long to get there.”

Without waiting for a reply, he headed off into the trees, glancing back briefly to check that the Eevee was following him rather than trying to work out why the lake was more than five centimetres wide. Realising they were leaving, Jay hurriedly trotted after him, tail waving in the air with excitement as they headed into foreign lands.

The place looked very similar to the forest back home; there were different kinds of trees here, but other than that, visually it was very similar. The atmosphere was not. It was easy to tell from the way that Jay kept scampering around and sniffing at the bushes and trees that there were a lot of Pokémon scents nearby, and the canopy echoed with the cries of young Rufflet and Vullaby.

After ten minutes of walking, a building was visible in the distance beyond the trees. It was impossible to see how tall the place was thanks to the blanket of leaves above, but it seemed pretty large, more than just a house. Were they nearly at the edge of the forest yet?

His attention was distracted from the building at the sound of rustling leaves ahead. Not really surprised considering they were in a forest, Ryan just shrugged it off, figuring it must be a wild Pokémon.

He definitely _was_ surprised at the lithe pink creature that hopped out of the bushes in front of them. Jay let out a squeak at the sight of the evolution.

Deep purple eyes glanced from the Eevee to the boy, white pupils staring intently. “… _Hello_.”

“Hi there,” Ryan smiled to the Pokémon, noting how even though it had spoken to him, it hadn’t actually let out any sound at all. “You’re an Espeon, aren’t you?”

“ _I am, yes. This area is safe now. You are free to pass_.”

“Safe?” His expression turned to confusion. Had something happened here recently? “Okay, thank you— and you don’t have to use telepathy to speak to me. I can understand you if you speak normally.”

“Really?” the Espeon spoke at last, forked tail flicking. Her actual voice was much higher than the sound in his head; he preferred Pokémon talking in their normal tongue anyway, rather than through telepathy. It felt more natural than having a strange voice speaking into his mind. Jay had just looked confused since the other Pokémon got here, clearly not being sent the telepathic messages. Licking a paw and running it over one ear, the Espeon hummed quietly. “You certainly are an unusual one…”

Ryan was about to ask what the psychic-type was doing out here alone in the forest – it was extremely rare to see a wild Espeon – but before he got the chance, there was a call from nearby.

“Espeon! Where have you wandered off to?”

The Pokémon’s ears twitched at the voice, letting out a quiet trill to let whoever it was find her more easily. It wasn’t long before the sound of crunching leaves broke the quiet, and a person appeared from amongst the trees.

“There you are—uh, what’s a kid doing here?”

It was a man, maybe in his late teens or early twenties. He was definitely dressed for the outdoors, thick trousers tucked into hiking boots and sporting an outdoor jacket, yet other than that he didn’t look much like a hiker. He didn’t really seem to have the build for it, not to mention that he had long blond hair which was tied back in a high ponytail, and piercings on both earlobes. A black-rimmed pair of glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.

As Ryan just stared at him, not really sure why he was asking, the guy sighed. “Well, lucky for you, this area is safe now. You can carry on through.” He turned to walk away, pulling a phone from his pocket. An Eevee charm dangled from it; this guy must like Pokémon a lot too!

“Wait!” Ryan said hurriedly. “What happened here? Why is everyone talking about it being ‘safe’ now?”

“Everyone?” the guy muttered, glancing back briefly before his gaze returned to the device. “Oh, Espeon must have been speaking to you. It's none of your business what happened here, kid. All you need to know is it’s safe now.” He continued walking.

“What’s he talking about?” Jay asked quietly. The Eevee was hiding behind Ryan’s leg, nervous around the strangers.

“Don’t worry, little one,” Espeon cooed. She let out a quiet mew to get her trainer’s attention before the jewel on her head glowed slightly; a sign that she was using telepathy once more.

And that was when the man stopped in his tracks.

“He can _what!_?” he cried, turning to face them once more with an incredulous look on his face.

“I told him that you can understand me,” Espeon explained nonchalantly, licking a paw.

“Um… yeah…” Ryan grinned sheepishly. “I can understand Pokémon. Well, when they’re not using telepathy, I mean.”

“Interesting…” the guy mumbled quietly, eyes narrowed in thought. “Tell me, kid, are you a Pokémon trainer? You have a Pokémon with you; I’d go by the assumption that you are.”

Ryan nodded. Jay’s ears pricked slightly.

“Then how about a small battle? Espeon versus your Eevee.”

“A battle?” Ryan echoed. “Um, sure…!”

“Alright then. Espeon!”

At her trainer’s call, Espeon flicked her tail, getting back to her paws to step forward, her calm gaze resting on Jay. The Eevee picked up on the atmosphere, jumping out from behind Ryan to land among the leaves in somewhat of a fighting stance.

“A battle! A battle!”

“By the way, my name’s Jeremy,” the man stated, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “We’ll let you move first.”

It almost seemed like he was testing him. “Ryan. Okay then.” Well, Espeon was a psychic type, so… “Jay, use bite.”

At the command, Jay raced forwards, jumping towards the Espeon. Her ears twitched, but she didn’t make any attempt to move out of the way. When the Eevee reached her, he sunk his teeth into one of her forelegs.

Even though the dark-type attack was super-effective, Espeon barely seemed bothered by it at all.

“Huh!?” Jay gasped, eyes widening in shock.

“Sorry. Was that supposed to hurt?” Espeon smiled cheekily, shaking the Eevee off.

“Is that all?” Jeremy snorted. “Fine then. Espeon, psychic.”

Ears twitching briefly and forked tail flicking, Espeon’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Sorry about this, little one…”

“Huh?” Jay blinked. He tipped his head to one side as Espeon closed her eyes, the jewel on her forehead glowing once more.

The second she opened her eyes, a fierce wave of energy spread out, centring on the Eevee. Jay still looked confused as it closed in, realising too late that it was something that could hurt him.

He soon found out.

With a pitiful wail, the normal-type was blasted across the clearing, crashing to the ground in an explosion of leaves and dirt.

“ _Jay_!”

After a few seconds with no response, Ryan ran over to the defeated Eevee. He fell to his knees, feeling the ground scrape against them, and frantically lifted the small Pokémon into his arms. Jay’s limbs flopped limply, but to a sigh of relief, the little creature was still breathing. _Thank Arceus, he’s still alive…_

“You’re not a very experienced trainer, are you?” Jeremy commented bluntly.

“You didn’t have to hit him with something so powerful!” Ryan snapped, glaring at the man. In the Pokémon battles he’d been in so far, none of the Pokémon had been attacked fiercely enough for them to actually be knocked unconscious.

Was this why his father didn’t like battling?

“Hey, don’t go blaming me.” The older guy held up his hands in defence with an unimpressed scowl. “With your abilities, I expected you to be a stronger trainer.”

That was a slap to the face. Ryan’s eyes widened in shock.

His first battle in Unova, and he’d lost. Jay had been badly hurt. Because Ryan was _weak_ …

“Just put the Eevee back in its Poké ball and take it to the Pokémon Centre. It’ll be fine after that.”

“I… fine…” Ryan muttered, standing up.  He hugged the unconscious Pokémon tighter, hoping he’d be okay until they got to the centre.

“Like I said; put it in its Poké ball.”

“He doesn’t have one.”

Jeremy blinked in surprise. “Is he even your Pokémon?”

“Of course he is! He just doesn’t have a Poké ball!”

“Okay, okay, no need to shout at me, kid.”

“My name’s Ryan.”

“Fine then, _Ryan_ ,” Jeremy tutted, rolling his eyes and taking something from one of his pockets. He tossed it to the boy. “Here.”

Just about managing to catch the item without jolting the creature in his arms, Ryan stared at it. _A poké ball_.

“Makes carrying Pokémon a lot easier,” the man said, with a strong hint of sarcasm in his voice. “See ya, kid.”

And with that, Jeremy strolled away into the trees. Espeon trotted after him, pausing briefly to glance back at the boy and mumble a brief ‘sorry’ before padding after her trainer.

And then Ryan was left alone, the Eevee still unconscious in his arms and an empty Poké ball in one hand. Of course, there had been lessons at school about catching Pokémon with the capsules, but Ryan had never tried using them. Still, Jay wanted to travel with him, which kind of made him _his_ Pokémon, so it was okay, right…? Besides, they were made to keep Pokémon safe while not in battle, so it wasn’t as if they harmed them in any way…

Besides, it’d be easier to get Jay to the Pokémon Centre this way. Finally making up his mind, Ryan gently tapped the capsule against the Eevee’s fur. A light briefly surrounded the creature before retreating back into the Poké ball, taking the normal-type with it. The orb shook for a moment before falling still with a quiet click.

Letting out a faint sigh, Ryan stood up and glanced at his surroundings. Now he just had to find a Pokémon Centre. If only that guy had pointed him in the direction of one before he left.

 

* * *

 

The building he’d spotted at the edge of the forest turned out to be much larger than he’d originally expected. A sign by the door dubbed the place as ‘Shopping Mall Nine’, and a quick check of the map showed that the nearest Pokémon Centre was in Opelucid City to the east. Ryan wasted no time sprinting along the road, avoiding the motorcyclists that patrolled the area.

The gate attendant gave a friendly wave as he raced past, and in good manners he briefly waved back before emerging into the city. On any other occasion he probably would have stopped to admire the architecture, how ancient and breathtakingly beautiful the whole city looked in the mid-afternoon sun, but that was in the back of his mind right now.

The bright red of the Pokémon Centre stood out amongst the sandy-coloured buildings. Ryan nearly tried to shove the doors open before realising they were automatic, and narrowly avoided falling through them in his haste. His skirmish with the door attracted the attention of the nurse behind the counter, and she gave a friendly smile as he hurried across the room.

“Hello, what can I do for you?”

“Y-you can heal Pokémon here, right…?” Despite knowing this, Ryan had to ask anyway. He was worried. It was a force of habit.

“Yes, yes,” the nurse nodded. She held out her hand for the Poké ball. “Are you a new trainer?”

Ryan handed the object over, never letting it out of his sight. “Yeah… I only arrived in Unova today.”

“Well, be more careful from now on, okay?” She went over to place the capsule in some kind of machine, which lit up in reaction.

“Try telling that to the guy who was battling me.”

“Oh, you were in a battle with someone? Now I see.” The nurse had a sympathetic look in her eyes. “There are a lot of strong trainers around here, since the Pokémon League is nearby. Maybe challenging them isn’t such a good idea if you’re not that experienced.”

“Duly noted,” Ryan muttered, watching as the machine’s light faded.

The nurse returned the Poké ball to him, the same friendly smile on her face as before. “Here you go. You have a trainer card, right?”

He nodded, retrieving it from the pocket of his hoodie and showing her.

“Good, good. Just remember that if you’re in need of food or a place to stay, or if your Pokémon need rest, just visit a Pokémon Centre, okay? They’re all open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and services are free to Pokémon trainers.”

“Okay, thanks,” Ryan nodded. He wanted to make sure Jay was okay. Since leaving the machine, the Poké ball had been rattling, as if the creature inside was trying to get out.

With a brief wave, he hurried back outside, pressing the button on the capsule.

As the light burst from it, Jay appeared, squirming on the old path, wailing loudly, almost as if he was in pain.

“Jay!” Ryan cried, crouching down to rest a hand on the Eevee’s side to calm him down. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

At the sound of his voice, the creature froze, snapping back to reality at last. The second a hand brushed against his fur he jolted, jumping away hurriedly and pressing against the ground, trying to hide behind his tail.

“S-something… s-something really w-weird happened…” the Eevee whimpered quietly, his words coming out fast and almost incoherent. “Espeon did that funny wave thing, and… and then everything was dark, and then I was in this weird place all alone, and—!”

“Jay, Jay, it’s alright.” Ryan interrupted before his panicked train of thought could derail. “You were just inside a Poké ball, okay?” He held the capsule up. “I put you in there so I could get you to the Pokémon Centre and they could heal you.”

“But… but…” Jay’s eyes widened as he shrank back further. “It was you! You made the creepy place appear! And, and… and you didn’t tell me... you said you knew a lot about this place! You never said anyone could do horrible things like that!”

“Look, I’m sorry if you don’t like being in the Poké ball, okay? It was easier to carry you that way. Anyway, all Pokémon can be put inside Poké balls; it’s not as if it hurt you.”

“I don’t care!” the Eevee snapped, scrambling away from him, ears pressed flat to the back of his neck. “I hate you!”

As Jay turned to race away, Ryan was left staring in shock for a moment. He soon shook his head, snapping back to reality and jumping to his feet to run after the Pokémon. “Jay, come back!”

The Eevee didn’t listen, vanishing into the tunnel back out to Route 9 just as it came into view.

_He didn’t really mean that. He’s just shocked..._

By the time Ryan emerged back out onto the route once more, Jay had vanished.


	11. New Faces

The food they sold at the Pokémon Centre was actually surprisingly decent – compared to the stuff served at the school cafeteria at least – but even so, Ryan found himself just picking at it with the fork. Knowing full well he’d be in trouble if his parents found out he wasn’t eating properly, he’d decided to at least get _some_ food, and pasta was something he usually liked at home, but he just wasn’t hungry right now.

He’d spent hours searching for Jay, most of that time in the forest at the north of Route 9, but there had been no sign of him. There hadn’t seemed to be many wild Pokémon around either, especially compared to the forest at home. Maybe that was connected to what that Jeremy guy had been saying earlier, about it being ‘safe’ now, like something had happened there before. Whatever it was must have scared away the wild Pokémon.

Their games of hide and seek had obviously paid off, unfortunately for Ryan. Jay was either determined to hide from him, or he’d left the area. Ryan couldn’t decide which was worse. And now, it was getting late in the day, so he’d had to give up the search. It would be much more difficult to find him at night.

“Not hungry, eh?”

His gaze left the almost untouched plate at the voice as someone walked up to his table. “Uh… not really…”

“Y’know, a young thing like you really needs to eat! Where else does all that wild energy you kids have come from?” The man gave a friendly smile. “Doesn’t work so well for me, but eh, a guy can dream.”

Ryan just stared at the guy, not really sure how to respond. The man seemed quite old, maybe somewhere in his sixties, but despite that his hair was still a flaming red colour. It almost looked like a fire itself under the centre’s lights, flared up in places and tied at the back so he didn’t look like a flaming Sandslash. His outfit was pretty loud too, especially with the brightly-coloured poncho he was wearing.

“Hmm, you seem kinda down. Something happen?”

“Um… kinda…” Ryan muttered, unsure if he wanted to try explaining his problems to a stranger.

“I guess that explains the lack of appetite, then,” the man commented, taking a thoughtful bite out of an apple. “You look kind of familiar, you know…”

“I do?” he blinked. “Well, I only arrived in Unova today… and I don’t think I’ve met you before.” _I definitely would have remembered someone who looks like that._

“Y’see, that’s the thing. Can’t tell what it is, but there’s definitely something familiar about you. Oh, ah, you mind if I take a seat?”

Ryan just shrugged. “Sure, I guess…”

“Cheers. Walking around all day really takes it out of you, especially when you get to my age!” he grinned, dropping into one of the chairs across the table. “Still, it’s funny. I never forget a face. Names, I’m terrible with, but I never forget a _face_ …”

_Face?_ “Well… you might have known one of my parents. They used to live in Unova.”

“Your parents, huh? Hmm, yes, that could be it. What are their names?”

“N and Touko.”

At that, the man’s eyes widened in surprise, a look of recognition on his face. “Oh, now I know! I remember those two kids… been a long time since I’ve seen either of them. Though I suppose if they’ve left Unova then that could be why. Had the feeling there might have been something between them.” He chuckled. “Anyway, I bet they’re great parents. Let me guess, trying to follow in your mother’s footsteps, eh?”

“Sort of,” Ryan shrugged. “I’m not doing a very good job so far.”

“I’m guessing this is what you were moping about. Something go wrong?”

For a moment, Ryan remained silent, deciding if he wanted to tell this stranger or not. It probably wouldn’t do any harm; he might even know something to help him find Jay. “I… one of my friends—Pokémon – ran off earlier. I couldn’t find him.”

“Ahh, I see…” The man looked thoughtful as he took another bite from the apple. “Well, no use giving up just yet, right? Pokémon and people are there for each other. But, before you go looking for him again, you’d better get some food in ya.” He motioned to the plate.

“Right…!” Ryan nodded, starting to feel more confident. He’d find Jay eventually; he just needed to keep looking. Besides, perhaps the Eevee would have calmed down by now. After finally taking a bite of his meal – it was starting to get cold by now, but that didn’t matter when he realised how hungry he was – he glanced up at the older man once more. “Oh, by the way, I’m Ryan.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Ryan!” The colourful man smiled. “My name is Alder.”

“ _Alder_!?” Ryan almost choked on his pasta. “A-as in, Alder the former champion of Unova!?”

At that, Alder burst out laughing. “Yes, that’s me. I don’t see why that’s such a big deal; your mother is a former champion too!”

“I-I know, but… but…!”

“I get it, I get it,” Alder grinned, reaching over to ruffle his hair. “I guess you’re used to her. There have been only a handful of champions since she defeated me, though. Or, well… two, actually.” He noticed Ryan’s inquisitive gaze, and decided to continue. “The first one was Iris.”

“Iris...?” He’d heard the name mentioned, probably because she was a champion, but didn’t know much about her.

“One of the youngest champions Unova has ever had. She’s returned to being a gym leader since she was defeated. She runs the gym in this very town, in fact.”

“There’s a gym here?” Ryan perked up slightly.

“Yes, but it’s very tough. Trainers are advised to challenge the Opelucid gym last. Iris isn’t exactly known for taking it easy on her challengers. I think that’s something she got from her mentor, Drayden.” He smiled fondly.

“Ohh, okay,” Ryan nodded, paying more attention to the advice. “…You said Iris was defeated? Who’s the current champion?”

“I’m a little impressed you don’t know,” Alder shook his head, his expression starting to look more serious. “His name is Nate. He tends to travel the region a lot, so he’s rarely at the league. Not that I can really complain about that, of course… still…” He trailed off, expression unreadable, as if he was planning to say something else but decided against it. Soon the frown that tugged at the corners of his mouth lifted into a friendly smile. “Anyway, if you’re planning on looking for your Pokémon, you need to eat up, lad. I’m sure you’ll find him.”

Ryan gave a determined nod. “Thanks…!”

“Alright.” Alder stood up from the chair, his movement a little stiff from old age. “Good luck, Brian!”

“My name is Ryan…”

“Right, right. Good luck, Ryan!”

 

* * *

 

The trees created a thick mist of shadow, obscuring the pale light which illuminated the asphalt on the road. It was very late by now, the last traces of day vanishing along with the fading sunlight that just barely silhouetted the mountains on the horizon. The occasional Pokémon cry echoed from the near silence in the forest ahead, and the rumbling of motorbike engines on the route had since faded.

_Maybe… maybe I_ should _just wait until morning…_

_No_. Ryan shook his head hurriedly, as if that would shake free the confidence he needed. It was just a forest. Just like the one back at home.

Although he’d never been there alone at night…

Taking a long, shaky breath, he gathered his wits, moving one step closer to the shadows.

“There’s… nothing in this forest other than Pokémon…” he murmured quietly to himself. That was right. Just Pokémon; nothing to be afraid of.

And besides, Jay was probably hiding in there somewhere, or so he hoped. He needed to find him. That was the top priority right now. No time for fear.

When another few steps into the forest didn’t cause anything to lunge at him from the shadows, Ryan started to gain some confidence. Yeah, there was nothing to be scared of here.

A twig snapped. Ryan froze on the spot. It might as well have been a tree cracking in half for how loud it sounded in the silence.

“ _Ah_! Jay…?” Ryan called, trying to stop his voice from cracking in fear.

No response. There was a quiet rustling of leaves from somewhere deeper in the forest, but that was it.

“It's just… j-j-just a wild Pokémon…” he said quietly. Ryan didn’t usually talk to himself. It was just a habit when he got nervous. Hopefully there wasn’t anyone around to think he was going mad.

Recovering from that brief moment of panic, he soon continued through the forest, listening out for any more sounds. Perhaps the rustling leaves had been Jay. Then again, there were probably a lot of wild Pokémon here too…

Oh, what was he thinking? Jay _was_ a wild Pokémon. He’d agreed to go with him to Unova, yes, but the Eevee had never agreed to being put inside a Poké ball. Maybe that was why he’d been so angry and ran off.

Maybe he didn’t _want_ to be his Pokémon. Maybe he just wanted to remain wild.

“Oh look, a human. You really have no idea where you’re heading, do you?”

A Pokémon’s voice made him jump. It definitely wasn’t Jay, but where had it come from? Ryan looked around him, scanning the foliage for anything other than leaves before his gaze finally lifted to the branches above.

It was difficult to see much in the lack of light, but amongst the shadows of the forest, he could just about make out some pink and yellow fur.

“That’s probably because I don’t know this place,” Ryan replied simply, a lot less scared now he wasn’t alone.

Red eyes glinted in the dim light as they widened in surprise, and the leaves rustled as the Mienfoo hopped down onto a lower branch. “Hold up, hold up. What did you just say?”

“I don’t know my way around this forest?”

“… Okay, so you changed some words, but… how the heck did you just _reply_ to me? Can you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yup.”

“Huh. You’re a weird human.” She huffed, ears twitching.

“… Anyway,” Ryan continued, slightly offended but understanding her surprise. “Have you seen an Eevee come through here?”

The Mienfoo simply sat back against the tree trunk, crossing her hind legs in a carefree way and examining one paw absently. “Maybe I have. Maybe I haven’t.”

“So… is that a yes or no?”

“It's a maybe.”

“Right,” Ryan rolled his eyes. “Of course. I’m going to keep looking. See ya.”

“Whoa, whoa, _whoa_ , hey, wait!” The fighting-type jumped back to her paws, shaking the branch slightly and causing a few of the reddening leaves to flutter to the ground. “Do you even know where you’re going? Do you know what’s further that way?”

“No. I just said I don’t know this forest. I’m new to Unova.”

“Oh, of course, yeah. Then that makes a lot of sense. You gotta be plain crazy otherwise to just waltz into Gothorita’s territory.”

“So… a Gothorita lives around here?” Maybe that was why the Mienfoo was in a tree. Fighting- and psychic-types didn’t exactly mix.

“Yeah, and she claims that patch of the forest for herself. I dunno if that Eevee is still there, but she doesn’t like intruders.”

“So you _did_ see him.”

“I never said I didn’t,” she shrugged. “I was just very vague on the matter.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Ryan said sarcastically. “I’m going to look for Jay.” He took off running through the trees, energised by this new lead on his search. Jay had _been_ _here_!

“Hey! Why are you going into such a dangerous place just to look for an Eevee?”

Ryan didn’t stop to look back. “Because he’s my _friend_!”

The Mienfoo just stared as the boy disappeared into the shadows of the forest. “Friend, huh?” She dropped down to sit on the branch, pawing at one ear casually, although her eyes gleamed with interest. “Yeah, you _are_ a weird human.”

 

* * *

 

Ryan kept running through the forest, noticing that the deeper into the trees he went the darker it became. The leaves here were thicker, blotting out the moonlight, and soon he had to slow his pace to avoid tripping over anything.

“Jay?” he called quietly, noting how the word seemed to carry through the forest despite the fact that he was keeping his voice low.

There was no reply. He hadn’t really expected any. For all he knew, the Eevee might not have been here at all.

Except… that Mienfoo had _seen_ him. That must have been Jay. There weren’t many wild Eevee around. She’d never said how long ago it was she’d seen him though…

The rustling of leaves nearby grabbed his attention, and Ryan span around, hoping to see familiar brown fur.

Whatever he would have seen was masked by the beam of coloured light that flashed past just inches from his face.

Stumbling back hurriedly, not entirely sure what had just happened, Ryan continued to watch the bushes, this time prepared to make a run for it if anything attacked. The leaves rustled once more, and a black and white Pokémon stepped out gracefully.

_A Gothorita… this must have been the one she was talking about. Which means that must have been psybeam…_

“What are you doing here?” the psychic-type growled. The snarling attitude did not fit well with its elegant appearance.

“Sorry if this is your territory; I’m just looking for my friend,” Ryan tried to explain, hoping if he was friendly about it the creature might let him pass.

“No you’re not. Get out.”

“I will when I find him.”

“No. Now.”

“Look, I’ll leave when I find Jay, alright?” he huffed, patience already lost. “It's important that I find him—”

“No, ignorant human!” Gothorita snapped, eyes glowing a fierce icy blue. “I said _get out_!”

The last two words echoed as telepathy, a voice screaming so loud in his head that Ryan reflexively clamped his hands over his ears to try and block out the noise. The volume messed with his balance, which was made even worse by the darkness, and the next thing he knew he’d fallen back against a tree.

When his senses returned to him, Ryan realised the Gothorita’s eyes were still glowing. She was about to attack him again.

And he was still too disorientated from having that voice in his head to be able to escape.

“ _Go away_! I won’t let you hurt Ryan!”

The psychic-type looked around angrily at the high-pitched voice, trying to work out where it was. Ryan wasn’t exactly sure _where_ it had come from, but he certainly knew _who_. And that was why he didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified when a blur of brown fur shot out from the bushes, landing in front of him and growling at the aggressive Pokémon.

“Jay, don’t!” Ryan cried, remembering all too well what had happened earlier when he’d tried to fight Espeon.

The Eevee didn’t have any time to reply, as the Gothorita decided to focus her hostility on him instead of Ryan. Another multi-coloured wave was sent shooting through the air, right on target.

“Jay!”

And yet nothing happened. The Eevee didn’t seem to be affected by the attack at all, the light simply reflecting off his fur. Gothorita seemed just as surprised as Ryan did.

“I said I won’t let you!” Jay snapped. “He’s my best friend, and I won’t let him get hurt!”

“Jay…” Ryan murmured, eyes wide. “Your… your fur is glowing…”

“Huh?” the Eevee glanced back at himself. His brown fur was lit up with a bright glow, steadily getting brighter until it was too harsh to look at amongst the darkness of the forest and Ryan found he had to hold up one arm to shield his eyes from the light. He’d lost sight of the Gothorita and hoped this wasn’t some kind of attack.

Somehow, he knew it wasn’t. This was something else.

It wasn’t long before the light faded. And now, the creature standing before him was no longer an Eevee.

“Whoa…” Jay lifted a paw experimentally as if to check it was actually his. Not only was he a lot taller now but his fur was no longer a mix of brown; instead it was a blueish black, with yellow rings on his face, ears and limbs. “This is really cool—! Oh, right…”

Setting his attention back on the Gothorita, Jay lunged towards the psychic type, teeth snapping just centimetres from her face. With a yelp, followed by an indignant snarl knowing she wouldn’t be able to stand up to the dark-type, the Gothorita soon fled into the bushes, out of sight.

“Did I win?” Jay asked, jumping around to look at the boy.

Ryan couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, Jay. You won.”

“Yay!” the dark-type cheered, tail waving from side to side. Noticing the difference in how the movement felt, Jay glanced back briefly. “Oh! Oh! I changed! I evolved! What am I now?” He ran over to Ryan, eyes wide with curiosity.

“You’re an Umbreon now,” Ryan smiled brightly, reaching down to ruffle the Pokémon’s ears. Even though he was much bigger than he had been before, Jay was still rather small for his species.

“And, and what type?”

“Dark.”

“Yay! I’m a dark type!” Jay chirped, running around in a circle. “Like Zoroark!” He jumped up at Ryan, probably intending to jump into his arms but instead ended up knocking him over.

“Ow!” Ryan gasped as he fell against the tree once more. “Jay, I think you’re too big for me to pick up now.”

“Aww,” the Umbreon groaned, deciding to sit on Ryan’s stomach instead. “Why were you out here? I thought you didn’t go into the forest at night.”

“I don’t, usually. But I needed to find you. I mean, you’re my best friend, right? I’m not just going to leave you behind!”

“Really?” Jay’s ears twitched, red eyes widening in surprise. “But, but I thought you’d be mad at me. For running away.”

“No, silly.” Ryan hugged Jay tightly, as if worried he might disappear again. “If anything, I thought you might be angry at _me_. I thought… I thought maybe you’d decided you didn’t want to come with me on my journey after all. I mean, you’re a wild Pokémon. I should have just carried you to the Pokémon Centre instead of putting you inside a Poké ball.”

Jay seemed very happy at the affection, ears twitching both in content and showing he was listening to the trainer’s words. “But I do wanna go! Poké balls are just weird. But it wasn’t that bad. Just different. And everything’s different. Even I’m different. I evolved, I evolved!” He jumped off him to go and skip around in the leaves again.

Rolling his eyes, Ryan climbed back to his feet. _Well, at least I know Jay has only changed on the outside._ “Come on. We should probably head back to the Pokémon Centre. It's getting really late, and we’ve got a lot of travelling to do tomorrow. Sleep sounds pretty good right about now.”

Jay stopped his excited hopping to glance up at him, eyes wide with anticipated disappointment. “Do I have to stay out here…?”

“Nope! That’s the good thing about Pokémon Centres. They’ll let Pokémon inside!”

“Yay!” The Umbreon hopped towards him once more, shoulders wiggling as he prepared to jump.

“But,” Ryan said hurriedly, holding out one arm to stop him. “There’s no way you’re going to be able to sit on my shoulder now.”

 

* * *

 

Amidst the night silence, quiet cries of nocturnal Pokémon echoed in the forest, only just audible over the nearby hum of the fridge. The way the moonlight washed over the scenery was quite a sight, as long as you were paying enough attention to notice.

“Touko…?”

Breaking free from the trance she’d been somewhat in, Touko looked over her shoulder in surprise. “Oh, hey N. What’re you doing up?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he mumbled, his voice edged with a yawn as he rubbed at his eyes sleepily. “I woke up and you weren’t there, and you didn’t come back after ten minutes… anyway, why are you staring out of the window?”

“Sorry,” she apologised with a sheepish smile. “I was just wondering what Ryan’s up to…”

“Sleeping, hopefully.” N gave a tired laugh. “It’s two in the morning.”

“It is? Oh.” Touko glanced at the clock on the wall, which was almost invisible in the low light. In truth, she’d got out of bed to go and fetch a glass of water, even though she didn’t feel thirsty at all.

“Aren’t you tired?” he asked, wandering over to wrap his arms around her middle, resting his head sleepily on hers.

“I am…” Tired enough that she almost nodded in response to the question, before realising she’d end up smacking him in the chin if she did so. “I’m just worried… do you think he’s okay out there on his own?”

“He’s not on his own,” N reminded her simply, hugging her closer. “He has friends with him.”

“I guess…” Touko let out a long sigh, bringing her arms up to rest against his. There was tenseness in his embrace that suggested he wasn’t as confident as he sounded.

Not really knowing what to say, she looked back out at the forest once more. Many thoughts crossed over her mind, as to whether Ryan had made it to Unova safely, if he had managed to find somewhere to stay at a Pokémon Centre… had her mother worried this much when she’d first left home all those years ago? That was something she’d never really thought about much…

After a few moments the silence was broken. “You don’t think people still remember what happened, right…?” N’s question was vague, knowing she would understand what he was talking about.

“N…” Her voice was little more than a murmur. He was still worried about that after all this time… “That was seventeen years ago. And anyway, I’ve told you before, it wasn’t your fault.” She turned to face him, finding his eyes full of concern, and maybe a hint of fear. “Ryan doesn’t even know about any of that. Everyone will have forgotten by now.”

“I know… I hope you’re right.” A quiet sigh escaped from him. “He’ll be fine…”

“Right.” She hugged him tightly, an action that was soon returned, albeit more gentle. “Let’s go back to bed. If I keep you up any longer you’ll use that as an excuse to sleep in really late tomorrow morning.”

N couldn’t suppress a quiet laugh. Sometimes she knew him too well. “Okay.”


	12. Friends and Family

At breakfast the next morning, Ryan found a new appreciation for the Pokémon Centre, as it appeared to have endless supplies of Pokémon food. Jay’s appetite had gotten bigger as well after evolving, and even though he didn’t seem to like the plain food as much as berries, he still ate a lot of it. Ryan, having finished his cereal ages ago, sat there wondering where it all went. Perhaps Jay just burned too much energy from all his jumping around.

“Done yet?” he laughed, after watching the bowl empty for the second time.

“Yep.” Jay licked his lips, clearing off any remaining traces of food, before sitting back and looking up at his trainer. “What now?”

“Well, we’re heading off soon. It’ll be quite a walk to get to Nuvema Town, so we might not get there until tomorrow or later…”

“Hey there, Rhys!” a cheery voice boomed from nearby. “I take it you found your Pokémon?”

“My name’s Ryan, not Rhys…” he pointed out, seeing Alder walk over to them. “And yeah, I did!”

“Well, I got the first letter right, at least,” the old man shrugged with a smile. He reached down to pet the Umbreon. “Hey there, little fella.”

Jay let out a happy squeak as he was petted, ears twitching. A few moments later he looked up at the man. “Why is his head on fire?”

Ryan couldn’t help but laugh at the question. Alder glanced over in surprise. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, erm, nothing… just something Jay said…”

“Jay…?”

_Oh Arceus, maybe I should’ve just kept my mouth shut._ “Um… Jay is… the Umbreon…” Ryan flinched. The last time anyone here had seen him talking to his Pokémon, they’d looked at him as if he were mad.

Much so his surprise, however, Alder just gave a friendly laugh. “Oh, I see! Can you understand what he’s saying?”

“Yeah. But I guess if you don’t believe me, I’d understand…”

“Why would I not believe you? That kid… uhh… Ed, was it…? Your father, anyway— he could understand them too, right?”

“His name’s N, and yeah,” Ryan nodded. He’d forgotten that the former champion knew his parents.

“I must say, certainly surprised me when I battled him,” Alder commented, standing up straight and rubbing his back. “Not every day you run into someone who can actually hear the words of Pokémon!”

“You _battled_ him?” Ryan asked, eyes wide. He couldn’t imagine his father wanting to have a Pokémon battle with anyone, especially considering all the times he’d lectured him about Pokémon being friends rather than tools for people to control. He definitely never even imagined he’d have fought someone as strong as a former _champion_!

“Ahh, long story,” Alder shrugged. “Anyway, I suppose you’re heading off today, right, kiddo?”

“Yeah. We’re travelling to Nuvema Town. That’s where Mum said I should head first.”

“I see! That’s a pretty long hike, mind you.” He brought a hand up to his chin thoughtfully. “I’m heading back home to Floccesy Town this morning. Nuvema isn’t too big a detour, so if you want, we could give you a lift.”

“Huh…?” Ryan just blinked at him, not really sure what he was talking about.

“Oh, don’t worry! Two of my Pokémon can fly. I’m sure Baldwin won’t mind carrying you.”

_Flying?_ He’d never flown on a Pokémon before. But it definitely sounded like fun, and hey, not having to walk all the way across Unova sounded nice. “Sure!”

“Alright then! I’ll be waiting outside. Don’t be too long!”

 

* * *

 

After quickly checking over his belongings to make sure he had everything, Ryan was soon faced with a dilemma. A rather important dilemma.

“Uh, Jay…?” he started somewhat cautiously, not sure how the Umbreon would react. “If we’re going to be flying across Unova, I’ll need to put you inside the— _your_ Poké ball. You could fall off while we’re flying otherwise, and that’d be even worse than falling out of one of the trees in the forest.”

Oh dear. He wasn’t so sure he was looking forward to flying anymore.

Jay just sat in silence for a moment, blinking up at him. His black-and-yellow tail waved back and forth slowly, and briefly Ryan wondered if the Umbreon had even been listening to him. Until… “Yeah, sure!”

“Wait, what?” Ryan blinked. “You’re okay with going back in there?”

“Yeah! It was just weird before, because I didn’t know what happened. Falling hurts!”

“… Okay then,” Ryan shrugged, still slightly baffled that he’d agreed so soon. He took the Poké ball from the pocket on his bag, holding it out to the dark-type. Jay padded forward to experimentally nudge the orb with his nose and was immediately sucked inside with a flash of red light.

Now Ryan just needed to decide where he was going to put the capsule; simply stuffing it into his bag seemed disrespectful when there was a Pokémon inside. In the end he decided the safest place would be one of the zipped pockets of his hoodie. At least there it was easy to get to and wouldn’t fall out.

With the problem solved, Ryan hooked his backpack over his shoulders and headed out of the Pokémon Centre to find Alder. And, well, finding him certainly didn’t take long.

“Whoa…!”

As he’d said, Alder was waiting outside, although with him now were two Pokémon; a Braviary who glanced around at the sound of footsteps and a Volcarona whose wings fluttered lazily as it hovered just above the ground.

“Ah, there you are, Robert!”

“It’s Ryan…”

“Right, right, Ryan. I’ll get it right eventually,” Alder laughed with a friendly smile. “Nuvema Town, right?”

Ryan nodded. “Yeah. Nuvema.”

“You heard the lad, Baldwin,” Alder stated, patting the Braviary’s neck. “We’re giving Ryan here a lift over to Nuvema Town before heading on home, okay?”

_Good, he finally got my name right._

Baldwin nodded, waddling over to the boy, wings still neatly folded at his sides. “Hop on, kid. I’ve been told you can understand me,” he cawed quietly.

“Uh… right. Yeah.” Hesitating for a moment and unsure really of how to go about this, Ryan eventually stepped forward, reaching up to place a hand on the bird’s feathers. Noticing how confused he looked, Baldwin eventually lowered a wing for him to grab onto to haul himself onto the bird’s back.

“Ever flown on a Pokémon before?” Alder asked, already settled on the back of the Volcarona. Clearly he was a lot more experienced with this than Ryan was.

“No,” Ryan shook his head. He was trying to find something to hang onto that wouldn’t involve accidentally pulling the bird’s feathers out.

“Well then, don’t worry, it isn’t dangerous! Besides, if you fall off, Baldwin will catch you.”

“Wait, what!?” _Fall off!?_

“Off we go!”

Ryan didn’t get a chance to say anything more as the bird spread his wings, flapping them strongly and taking off. Out of reflex, Ryan wrapped his arms around the Braviary’s neck as they soared off into the sky after the Volcarona.

 

* * *

 

The journey only took an hour, although it felt like weeks now that Ryan had gained the worry about falling off. It was a _very_ long way to the ground. Even so, he did manage to build up the courage to glance down, amazed at how the Unova region looked from a birds eye view. There were a few places he could recognise from the map, such as the desert and the bridges over the wide rivers, but without actually being able to get the map out and look, that was all he knew.

Eventually they reached the end of Route 1; a fresh autumn breeze rustled through the trees and carried a few leaves onto the grass. As Baldwin landed safely on the path, the bird patiently waited for Ryan to climb off his back. It felt weird to stand on solid ground after being in the air for so long.

“Thank you, mister Alder!” Ryan called, raising his voice above the hum of the Volcarona’s wings.

“No problem!” the former champion waved, and returned Baldwin to his Poké ball to rest after the flight. “We’d best be heading off now. Good luck on your journey, lad!” He patted the fire-type’s back as a command to fly.

Ryan waved until they were out of sight over the trees, still amazed by everything that had happened so far that day. He was here, at Route 1, and he’d just got a lift here from a former _champion_ …!

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a loud ringing sound. For a moment he glanced around, temporarily forgetting the Xtransceiver on his wrist until he finally tracked down the source of the noise. Reading the Caller ID – ‘Home’ – he tapped the answer button. “Mum?”

“Wow, Ryan, did you forget me already?” It was said jokingly, but not the voice Ryan had been expecting.

“Wait, Dad?” Ryan hesitated in surprise. Any call from a phone had no image on the Xtransceiver. “No… I just wasn’t expecting you to be the one calling me, that’s all.” And now he didn’t need to check the time to know it was past 11AM.

“Touko’s busy clearing up after breakfast. And currently glaring at me for not helping her,” N explained with a quiet laugh. “Anyway, how are you and Eevee?”

“I’m fine. And Jay isn’t an Eevee anymore!”

“You mean he evolved?”

“Yeah! He’s an Umbreon now!”

“That’s great! Eevee can only evolve into Umbreon if the bond between trainer and Pokémon is very strong. Have you met any new friends yet?”

“We’ve met some Pokémon, but Jay’s the only one travelling with me so far.”

“Okay.” There was a brief pause. “Hold on; I think Touko wants to speak to you…”

Ryan waited impatiently as the phone was handed over. He wanted to head on over to the village already, not stand around out here on the route!

“Ryan! I hear Jay evolved?” Touko asked, an almost suspicious hint to her voice.

“Yeah, he did. Into an Umbreon!”

“I would have thought he’d become an Espeon. Why on earth were you out battling in the middle of the night!?”

“Erm…” Whoops. Probably should have thought up an excuse for that one. “It, uh… took us a while to get to the Pokémon Centre, and we got attacked by a wild Pokémon…?” Well, it wasn’t _completely_ a lie…

“… Well, okay, but try not to be out so late from now on. Where are you now?”

Ryan suppressed his sigh of relief, knowing she’d hear it. _Close one_. “Route 1. I can see Nuvema from here!”

“What? How did you get there so fast!? That’s all the way on the other side of Unova!”

“I met the former champion, Alder, when I was in Opelucid City. He said that Nuvema wasn’t too out of the way, so he gave us a lift here!”

“Ah, I see. Yeah, that definitely sounds like Alder,” she laughed. “Anyway, I’ll let you go now. Have a good day, sweetie, and don’t forget to say hi to Mum for me!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryan rolled his eyes. “Bye.”

After ending the call and suddenly realising how quiet it seemed, Ryan fished the Poké ball from his pocket to let Jay back out into the open. Upon landing, the Umbreon lost his balance, falling onto the grass with an ‘ _oof’_.

“Wait, wait, I wasn’t ready that time!” the dark-type complained as he hurriedly scrambled back to his paws.

Ryan tried to hide his snort of laughter without success. “You’ll get it right next time. Nuvema Town is just ahead!”

He took off at a run along the path, Jay soon picking up on the excitement and scurrying after him.

Nuvema wasn’t a massive town, and a lot quieter than the centre of Greenway, but it could certainly be compared to the outskirts by the forest where they lived; peaceful and homely with the occasional person or Pokémon walking by. Ryan knew that his grandmother’s house was somewhere in the centre of the small village, so finding the place wasn’t too much of a task. After wandering the streets for a while and reading the names on the letterboxes, he finally found one he recognised.

_Rebecca White._

“Found it,” he spoke up, just as the Umbreon bumped into the back of his leg by accident.

“What were we looking for again?” Jay asked, rubbing his nose with one paw.

“Nan’s house. Hopefully she’s in.”

A small ball of anxiety forming in his stomach, he walked up to the front door, tapping lightly on the wood, hopefully loud enough that anyone inside would hear. For a moment he wondered if it had been too quiet, but just as he was about to try knocking again, the handle on the other side rattled, and the door was opened.

“Hi Nan,” Ryan smiled at the woman who’d appeared in front of them.

He couldn’t really remember much about his grandmother, since he hadn’t seen her in at least six years, but she still looked familiar. She was somewhere in her late fifties, a few hints of grey in her brown hair. Her blue eyes lit up with recognition as soon as he spoke.

“Ryan? Goodness, I haven’t seen you in years!” She reached down to pull him into a hug. “How are you, sweetie?”

He couldn’t help but cringe slightly. _She’s just as bad as Mum…_ “I’m fine.”

“Heading out on your journey at last, hmm?” Mrs. White smiled fondly. “You’ve definitely gotten a lot taller since I saw you last! Oh, who is your friend?”

Released from the hug at last, Ryan glanced over at the Umbreon, who was looking up at the lady hopefully, as if he expected her to give him food. He expected that from everyone, really. “This is Jay! He’s travelling with me.”

“Well, hello there, Jay.” She petted the dark-type’s ears gently, and he let out a happy squeak. Standing back up once more, she looked back over at Ryan. “Oh, where are my manners? Come in, come in!” She opened the door wider to let them through. “Here, Poppy, we have guests!”

At the call, a mound of brown fur moved on the sofa, ears pricking curiously. The Lillipup stretched, jaws wide in a yawn, before hopping to the ground and trotting over.

“Hi Poppy,” Ryan smiled, petting the little dog’s head.

“Hey there,” she barked happily, stubby tail wagging. “You’re Ryan, aren’t you?”

“Yep, that’s me.” He was glad she remembered him. When Touko had left Unova to live with N, she’d given her mother one of the Pokémon she’d caught on her journey, to keep her company since she lived alone. Ryan didn’t know where or who his grandfather was, or what had happened to him, and when he’d asked his mother she’d just said it was something that they didn’t talk about.

“You used to be a lot shorter than that, didn’t you?” Poppy asked.

“People grow up,” Ryan shrugged. Sometimes Lillipups really were like their owners.

“Haven’t lost that ability to understand Pokémon, hmm?” his grandmother asked brightly, a hint of pride in her expression. “Anyway, Ryan, what are you planning on doing today? I hope I’m not keeping you if you need to get somewhere.”

“We were just planning on heading over to meet Professor Juniper,” he explained. “Mum told me I should go and see her.”

“Oh, yes, that is a good idea! She’s the one who gave Touko her first Pokémon. I remember it as if it were yesterday…” Her eyes briefly held a distant look. “Ah well, I’m sure she’d love to meet you! I think she’s at the lab today, so why don’t you head over there now? I’ll have some lunch waiting when you get back! If you’re travelling, you need a good meal.”

“Sounds great!” he beamed. “Thanks, Nan!”

As the boy raced back out of the door, the Umbreon soon dashing after him, Mrs. White let out a quiet sigh. “Takes after his mother in so many ways,” she smiled fondly.


	13. Partners

The Pokémon lab was well pointed out in the village, with signs guiding the way at every corner. From the looks of things, it was one of few buildings which wasn’t a house. It was definitely larger than any of the others Ryan had seen so far, with a small wind turbine outside to generate more electricity for the technology used inside.

As he walked up the path to the building, the door swung open.

“Okay, see you later, Professor!” A blonde woman waved cheerily as she stepped outside. She stopped in her tracks as soon as she noticed him. “Ryan!”

Before he even registered what was happening, he was suddenly pulled into a bone-crushing hug. “Erm… hi, Bianca…” he muttered, once he managed to find his breath.

“Aww, you’re all grown up now!” she beamed. “I remember when you used to call me Auntie Bianca, you were so cuuute…!”

“Bianca, what’s going—oh,” an older-looking woman interrupted herself with an amused smile, leaning against the doorframe now that she’d determined there was no emergency. As Ryan threw her a somewhat desperate glance, she laughed quietly. “Come on, Bianca, don’t crush the poor boy.”

“Professor, it’s Ryan!” Bianca cheered, releasing him from the hug at last, motioning to him as if the professor hadn’t noticed. Ryan was left trying to catch the breath that had been squeezed out of him, subtly checking that none of his ribs were broken.

“I can see that.” Juniper raised an eyebrow. “Bianca, don’t you have a lab to get back to?”

“Hmm? Oh! Right! Yes!” Bianca gasped, quickly adjusting her green hat. “Bye Professor! Bye Ryan! Drop by if you’re ever in Aspertia City!” And with that, she raced away, the tails of her white lab coat flapping behind her as she ran.

Ryan was left looking slightly dumbfounded. “Bye…?”

“Sorry about that,” the professor apologised sheepishly. “Bianca can be a little… overenthusiastic, sometimes. Anyway, how are you, Ryan?”

“I’d be better if I hadn’t almost been crushed,” he joked, still a little winded.

“Oh, don’t worry, you get used to it,” she laughed. “Anyway, Touko called me a few days back to say you were heading over here. She told me you already had a Pokémon with you too.” She looked at Jay, and the Umbreon tipped his head to one side. “She also said that you can understand the words of Pokémon?”

Ryan nodded, not really sure where this was going.

“In that case, perhaps you should come in for a moment. I think you might be able to help with something.”

“Huh…?” he threw her a confused look, but the professor had already headed back into the building, motioning for him to follow. Exchanging glances with Jay, who looked even more clueless than he did, he just shrugged and stepped inside, hoping she didn’t want to use him for an experiment.

The Pokémon lab seemed like a very homely place inside, other than the various computers spread across one wall. A Cinccino was curled up on the office chair in a mound of white fur, and across in the other room a Watchog was looking curiously out of the window while an elderly-looking man sat on the sofa, asleep and snoring softly.

“Ah, don’t mind Dad. He sleeps a lot nowadays. Must have used up all his energy when he was younger,” Juniper chuckled quietly. She walked over to the desk, gently petting the Cinccino’s head as it looked up at her, before rummaging through the draws for something. “Here we are.”

When she turned around, she had a Poké ball in her hand. “I was hoping perhaps you could take this one with you. I can’t really give her as a starter because—well, you’ll see.”

She clicked the button, sending a small stream of light to the ground. As the light vanished, a small blue-and-white creature was left blinking in surprise. Glancing around and seeing the people towering over her, as well as the various Pokémon in the room, the Oshawott let out a terrified squeak and quickly backed away, running to hide behind the leg of a small table.

“She’s far too nervous to be given to a trainer with no experience of Pokémon,” Juniper explained quietly.

Ears twitching curiously, Jay hopped towards the table. “Hi there!”

The water-type waddled back to get away from him, accidentally knocking against one of the other table legs and sending a few pieces of paper fluttering to the ground. Her eyes were wide with fear.

“It's your decision, though.” Drawing the scared-looking starter back into her Poké ball, the professor held the capsule out to Ryan. “Would you mind taking her along on your journey?”

Well, that decision didn’t require much thought. If a Pokémon needed help, he was willing to do so.  Ryan gave a determined nod. “Yeah. Okay.”

“She’s coming with us? Yay!” Jay cheered, hopping in excitement.

“And I might as well ask; would you like a Pokédex? I usually give them to new trainers.”

Ryan’s eyebrows rose at the word. There had been talk of Pokédexes in lessons at school, and he knew his mother had one… still… “To fill a Pokédex… don’t you have to capture a lot of Pokémon? Just to take information on them?”

“You don’t necessarily have to fill it,” the professor stated with a half-hearted smile. “But it can help give you information on the Pokémon you come across. A few trainers have filled their Pokédexes already; I certainly have enough information for my research. Nowadays they’re mainly for helping young trainers who are starting their journeys.”

“Okay… I guess,” he shrugged, still not entirely sure.

“It's certainly been a while since anyone has explained them in that way,” Juniper said softly, holding out the capsule and Pokédex for him to take. “Just remember, as long as you’re accepting of others’ opinions on Pokémon, you should be fine.”

 

* * *

 

After lunch – he had to admit, his grandmother was quite an amazing cook – Ryan headed back to Route 1, Jay bounding after him. It was much quieter out here than in the village, hardly a person to be seen and only the occasional Pokémon wandering through the grass.

Once they found a patch of flat ground away from the tall grass, where they wouldn’t be bothering any of the wild Pokémon, Ryan took the occupied Poké ball from his pocket, looking at it briefly before pressing the button and releasing the creature inside.

The little Oshawott blinked curiously once she was out in the open, glancing around with awe at the rustling leaves above and the blue cloudless sky. Yet as her gaze turned to the two in front of her, she let out a quiet gasp and sank closer to the ground.

“It's okay; we won’t hurt you,” Ryan said with a friendly smile.

“Yeah! And you’re travelling with us! So you’re a friend!” Jay chirped.

The water-type swallowed nervously. “I… I-I am…?”

“Yeah!” The Umbreon cheered. “And we get to do lots of battles and stuff! And travel! It's fun!” He jumped forward, landing in front of her. “What type are you?”

Taking another few steps back, the Oshawott didn’t give any more of a reply than her eyes widening in fear.

“Alright, Jay, you’re not helping,” Ryan sighed, pulling the Umbreon back into his Poké ball before he could scare the poor creature any more. The boy might not have been that tall but he was certainly a giant compared to an Oshawott, so he sat on the grass in hopes it would make him seem less intimidating.

As the dark-type vanished, the otter seemed to relax slightly. Even so, she stared up at Ryan with a nervous look in her eyes.

“Hey there,” he said softly, hoping not to intimidate her as much as Jay had. “You’re an Oshawott, right? Do you name a name?”

“A-a name? I do… but…” the water-type muttered, looking confused.

“Oh… yeah, I can understand what you’re saying,” he explained, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. “I know it’s probably pretty rare to meet a person like that, huh?”

“You can understand me…” she blinked slowly, still looking a little overwhelmed. “Um… my name is Mariana. I was always told I shouldn’t bother using it much, because when I’d be given to a trainer they’d rename me…”

“Mariana? That’s a pretty name. Do you like it?”

“I… I guess I do… yeah.” At this, the water-type seemed to perk up slightly, as if she were gaining some confidence.

“That’s great! So in that case, I’ll call you Mariana — unless you’d rather I gave you a new name, of course.”

“N-no, no, I like my name,” Mariana nodded, her flipper-like tail twitching.

“It's good to meet you, Mariana,” Ryan smiled, holding his hand out. “My name’s Ryan.”

At the gesture, the Oshawott momentarily stepped back before working up the nerve to totter forward, giving his hand a quick sniff. She curiously reached out with one paw to hold his thumb, almost like a tiny handshake. “Ryan… yeah. It’s nice to meet you too. Are… are you my trainer…?”

“Yeah, if you want to come with us,” he nodded. “Juniper told me that she hadn’t been able to give you as a starter before… is there something you don’t like about trainers?”

“I… I don’t know…” Mariana sighed, looking away at the grass. “I-in the place where I lived before, there were a lot of Snivy and Tepig… they used to battle a lot, because they said it was what we were going to do one day when we were given to a trainer. But the Snivy challenged me to battle a few times, and… I wasn’t very good at it…”

“Snivy is a grass type,” Ryan pointed out. “They would have had an unfair advantage… anyway, don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll get stronger. And if you don’t like battling, that’s okay. You don’t have to fight if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t think I’d mind battling… i-if I knew how to do it,” she stated, giving a semi-determined nod.

“Really? Well, if you want to try… perhaps we could ask some of the wild Pokémon around here whether they can help. Jay might be too strong for you.”

“Um… okay,” Mariana agreed quietly, not looking entirely comfortable at the prospect of asking other Pokémon to fight.

“It's okay. If it becomes too much for you, you can tell me. I won’t force you to fight.”

At this, the Oshawott seemed happier. “Okay then. I’ll give it a try.”

“Right. I’ll let Jay back out, just in case… and besides, he’ll probably get jealous otherwise,” Ryan said with a small laugh, opening the capsule.

A moment later the Umbreon appeared before them, landing proudly on all four paws. “See! I told you I could do it! I just wasn’t ready last time.”

“Alright, Jay, we need to find someone who’ll be willing to battle Mariana. Preferably someone who isn’t too strong.”

“Hmmm…” the Umbreon looked around, ears twitching and an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. “Aha!”

The dark-type sprinted off across the grass, jumping up onto a rock beside the path.  A Patrat had been curled up asleep in the sun, but as soon as the Umbreon nearly jumped on him he let out a surprised squeak, scrambling backwards and falling off onto the ground below.

“Jay!” Ryan tutted. Hurrying to catch up, he looked over to the Patrat, who was now glaring at the dark-type. “Um, sorry about that… are you okay?”

“I don’t see why that is of your concern, human,” the normal-type huffed, dusting himself off with his tail. “But yes, I am fine. No thanks to lumbering ring-face over there.”

”Hey!” Jay pouted.

“Well, it’s good that you’re okay at least… would it be possible to have a battle with you?” Ryan asked.

“A battle?” the Patrat’s eyes widened as he looked over at Jay, now looking intimidated.

“No, no, not against Jay. Against…” Ryan looked around for the Oshawott, seeing her nervously tottering over to join them. “Against Mariana. She wants to try battling.”

“… Alright,” the rodent nodded eventually with a flick of his tail. “By the way, you’re a weird human.”

“Yeah, I seem to be getting that a lot recently,” Ryan sighed. He glanced down at Mariana. “Ready?”

“Um… I think so.” The water-type gave a small nod, her gaze drifting from the Patrat to her trainer. She looked up at him expectantly.

“What’s wr—oh, right, battle, I’m supposed to tell you what to do,” Ryan remembered quickly, slapping one hand against the side of his head. He still wasn’t used to the battling side of being a trainer. “Uh… what moves do you know?”

“I know tackle… I think…”

“Okay… well then, use tackle.”

With a small dip of her head, Mariana watched the Patrat for a long moment. She still looked nervous, even though she claimed she wanted to battle… but she soon managed to push that feeling aside, running as fast as she was able towards the normal-type and ramming into it head-on. The Patrat let out a surprised squeak as he was shoved backwards, tripping over his own tail in an effort to regain his balance.

Still, he wasn’t defeated yet and soon climbed back to his paws. The Patrat narrowed his eyes, leering at the opponent.

Mariana scrambled back with a quiet whimper.

“It's okay, he’s just using leer,” Ryan told her with confidence. “Use tackle again.”

The Oshawott didn’t move, just watching the Patrat nervously, frozen to the spot.

“Hey… Mariana, use tackle. Before he beats you to it!”

She still didn’t move. The normal-type had finished glaring, claws scrabbling against the earth as he darted forwards, ready to attack now that the Oshawott had let her defence down.

“ _Mariana_!”

At the shout, she finally seemed to come back to her senses, realising the wild Pokémon was almost upon her and letting out a terrified wail.

“Jay, do something!” Ryan called. The Umbreon hopped back to his paws at the call but it wasn’t needed.

The Patrat just inches away from her, Mariana’s reflexes immediately kicked in, and she shot a jet of water through the air. A moment later, the Patrat was sent flying backwards, hitting the grass with a muffled yelp, fur soaking wet.

There was a moment of silence.

“Did… I do something wrong?” the Oshawott asked nervously, peeking up at the trainer.

“No, no, you were great!” Ryan exclaimed, still shocked. “That was water gun! You didn’t say you could use that!”

“I didn’t know I could…” Her tail twitched nervously. “I was supposed to follow your orders, I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s okay. I said you didn’t have to battle if it became too much, remember?” Ryan smiled. He turned to the Patrat. “Are you okay?”

“Never better,” he muttered, trying to shake the water from his fur. “That’s the calls, human. You accept a battle, you get… soaked to the skin.”

“Well, we might as well repay you for helping us, at least,” Ryan said as he rifled through his bag, eventually pulling out one of the oran berries. Jay looked rather disappointed when he handed it to the Patrat. “Here. This’ll help get your strength back.”

The rodent blinked in surprise. “Thank you, human. You are strangely kind compared to the others who wander through here.”

“No problem. Alright then.” Ryan closed his bag before Jay could get his nose into it, and turned towards his Pokémon. “We might as well head on to the next town. Maybe we can do some training along the way – if that’s alright with you, Mariana?”

“Of course!” she nodded, sounding more confident now.

“Can we look for berries, too?” Jay asked hopefully.

“Okay, okay. We can look for berries.”

“Yay!” the dark-type cheered as the three of them continued along the path.


	14. Mysteries

“That’s great, Ryan! It seems like only yesterday I received my own starter.”

“Yeah.” _Mum_ , y _ou’ve told me that at least ten times by now._ “The professor gave me a Pokédex as well, though she said it was just to help on my journey.”

“Something told me you wouldn’t be too keen on trying to fill the Pokédex,” Touko admitted with a quiet laugh. “N, don’t give me that look, I _can_ see you. Anyway, Ryan, you’re at the Pokémon Centre now, right?”

“In Accumula Town, yeah. We did some training out on Route 1.”

“Well, I hope you plan on staying put. No more midnight adventures! Sleep!”

“I know, Mum,” he sighed. She wasn’t going to let that go. _Mothers_.

“Oh, but you said you’re in Accumula Town? That’s where your father and I first met!”

“Nice.” He’d probably heard mention of that before, but even so, he couldn’t help but cringe at how sappy this was. Sure, it was nice that they’d first met here, but all of that happened a long time before he was born. “Mum, it’s getting dark out; I wanna go to bed.”

“Well now, Ryan, that’s something I don’t hear often from you! But I suppose you must be tired after travelling so much. Sweet dreams!”

“Night, Mum.” Ryan hung up before she could shower him with any more of her motherly affection.

“Human beds are so soft!” Jay purred, jumping from his seat on the window sill to land on one of the cushions. The Oshawott already on it was nearly catapulted into the air.

After that experience, Mariana hurriedly scrambled away from the cushion. “Um… can I go back inside the Poké ball?”

“What?” Ryan blinked, not expecting the request. “Oh… sure.” Given how boisterous Jay could be, he didn’t exactly blame her. As the Oshawott was drawn back into the capsule, Ryan wondered how long she’d been in there while at Juniper’s lab; if Mariana had really been inside the Poké ball for all that time, perhaps that was why she seemed so nervous when she was outside… or perhaps she just preferred being inside the Poké ball. That was a possibility, too.

Jay skipped back over to the window once more. “How long will it be until we return to the forest?”

“You want to go home already?” Ryan gave him an incredulous look. “We’ve only been on our journey for two days!”

“No, no, I want Zoroark to know that I evolved! And that I’m a dark type now! Maybe now I’d be strong enough to fight him!”

“I doubt that highly,” Ryan rolled his eyes. “I’ll ask dad to tell him, okay?”

“Hmm… okay.” Seeming content with that, Jay hopped back over onto the mattress, padding along the sheets before flopping down and curling up on the pillow.

“Maybe I should put you inside your Poké ball too.”

“What? Why!? This human bed thingy is comfortable! I wanna stay here!”

“Then move over; you’ve taken up the whole pillow!” Ryan huffed, trying to shove him off so he could lie down.

With a quiet ‘ _humph’_ , Jay shuffled over to huddle against the headboard instead. His ears twitched occasionally as he drifted off into sleep with his head and front paws buried in the pillow.

 

* * *

 

“Food! Food! I can smell food!”

Ryan was too busy looking around to pay attention to Jay’s outburst. After leaving the Pokémon Centre that morning, they’d headed along Route 2, battling the few trainers they met on the way. Now, they’d arrived at Striaton City; the place certainly looked a lot busier than Nuvema Town or Accumula, but it was nowhere near as large as some of the cities Ryan had seen when he was flying over Unova.

Still, there was a bustling yet rural feel to the place, and it reminded him of Greenway. There was even a school here, although it was specifically for Pokémon trainers. Why didn’t they have anywhere like that back at home?

“Ryan! Ryan!”

His sightseeing was brought to a stop by the Umbreon pawing at his leg. “What?”

“I can smell food!”

“Jay, it’s only been an hour since you last ate!”

“I was battling. Battling makes you hungry.”

Ryan just rolled his eyes. “We’ll get some food later.”

“How much later?”

“Soon.”

“You sure? You won’t forget?”

“Of course I won’t forget. There’s even a restaurant right over there,” he pointed to a rather fancy-looking building. Hopefully whatever food they sold there wouldn’t be too expensive. Even after battling a few trainers on the way here, he didn’t have a lot of money. “We’ll go look around first, okay? There’s probably a lot to see in this city.”

“Okay,” Jay sighed, although he did seem excited at the thought of exploring.

They’d barely even taken five steps before their expedition was interrupted.

“Oh, it’s you! Ryan!”

Recognising the voice from yesterday, Ryan was instantly on high alert, glancing around in surprise as someone suddenly appeared next to him. “Um, hi Bianca.”

Thankfully she didn’t try to crush him with one of her hugs this time. “Have you just arrived here? I bet you’re on your journey, aren’t you! Aww, that’s so sweet! I remember when me and Cheren and Touko left on our journey together… oh, you should totally check out the Striaton Restaurant! It used to be a gym a long time ago but they converted the place since, they have a lot of Pokémon helping to run the place and their tea is the best _ever_!”

Ryan remained silent for a moment, slightly dumbfounded. His father spoke really fast sometimes, especially if he was interested in something, but Bianca might have just broken his record. “Didn’t you say you were going back to Aspertia City yesterday?”

“Ah, well, um,” Bianca continued sheepishly, “I was, but… then I kind of… lost Myra…”

“Who?”

“Oh, Myra is my Musharna – sometimes I call her Munny too, but she’s not a Munna anymore, y’know?” Bianca twiddled her thumbs, a look of concern and guilt on her face. “She escaped her Poké ball when we were passing through here yesterday, and I haven’t seen her since. I hope she’s okay…”

“We’ll help you look!” If there was a lost Pokémon around here, Ryan wanted to help. And besides, it’d be easier for him to find out why she’d vanished in the first place if he did find her.

“Thank you, Ryan!” Bianca beamed. “Aw, you’re such a sweet boy! I bet Touko must be proud – anyway, I’m going to ask the triplets if they’ve seen her. She _might_ have gone to the Dreamyard, so if you want to look there that’s probably a good idea. See you soon!”

And with that, she raced away in the direction of the restaurant.

“Do all humans move so fast?” Jay asked, blinking up at him.

“Not all of them,” Ryan muttered. “Just Bianca.”

 

* * *

 

Since she hadn’t explained to them exactly what the ‘Dreamyard’ was, it had taken a few dead ends around the city and a search of the map to find the place. At first glance, it looked like some kind of dilapidated building, walls crumbled and vines climbing the walls. It was strangely isolated from the rest of the city, though, and Ryan wondered what exactly had happened to this place.

Peering through the gaps in the walls, Ryan looked around for any spaces where a Musharna might be able to hide, but everywhere seemed much too small for a species that big. He thought about calling out, but if there were any wild Pokémon living within the overgrown grass here he didn’t want to scare them.

Still, that didn’t stop Jay.

“MYYYYRAAAAAAAAAA!” he shouted, sending a few nearby Patrat squeaking in alarm and racing for the safety of the grass.

“Jay, keep it down!” Ryan hissed, waving his arms frantically. “I don’t think she’s out here. I hope she hasn’t left the city.”

“We can find her! Finding is easy! It's just like hide and seek!”

“It's not—well, if thinking of it that way is going to make it easier to find her, then sure,” he sighed quietly. At least hide and seek was something Jay seemed to be good at — the hiding part, at least. He wasn’t sure how easily Jay would be able to find another Pokémon; it had probably been really easy to find a human in the forest, and Zoroark had never put much effort into his hiding locations when Jay pestered him into playing.

Head held high as he tried to scent the air, Jay meandered around for a while, sniffing at the walls and sneezing as dust got up his nose. Ears twitching in surprise at the sudden reaction, he quickly shook his head before padding along the grass once more, trying not to breathe in any more dust. Very soon he appeared to catch sight of something past the wall, and stared for a moment before glancing back at Ryan. “Over there!”

“What?” the boy ran to catch up, looking around for pink and purple, but he couldn’t see any sign of a Musharna. “What’s over there?”

“No, look!” Jay insisted, squeezing through a gap in the wall and racing into the paved clearing. “Over here!” He pawed at the ground.

Glancing around briefly, Ryan climbed through to follow him. Jay was standing by what looked like a large gap in the centre, but upon closer inspection it turned out to be a flight of stairs leading into the darkness below.

“Do you think she’s gone down here?”

“I dunno,” Jay shrugged simply. “Maybe.”

“Well, that’s helpful,” Ryan muttered. “Okay, c’mon, let’s go.” He started to head down the steps.

“Go? But it’s dark down there!”

Ryan paused to look back at the Umbreon. “Jay, you’re a dark- _type_. You can’t be telling me you’re scared of the dark.”

“Scared?” Jay’s eyes widened. “No way!” As if to prove his point, he hopped down the first few stairs. “It's just more difficult to see, that’s all.”

“Fair enough.” Ryan was pretty sure Jay could see just fine down here.

Underneath the ground, the Dreamyard looked even more of a mess. It was difficult to see, with the only light source being the few cracks in the ceiling, but even with the lack of light Ryan could tell that this building must have been used for something big a long time ago. Now the place was abandoned, fallen shelves scattered around and dust particles illuminated as they floated past the few rays of light.

Ryan hesitated briefly, wondering whether this place was even safe. The fact that they were looking for a missing Pokémon managed to outweigh those worries, and he eventually worked up the nerve to keep walking. His footsteps reverberated through the building with every step he took.

“Hello…?” Ryan called quietly, not really sure whether he wanted there to be a reply or not. His voice echoed so much that the word almost became distorted.

The most unnerving thing about this place wasn’t the looks or sounds, but the atmosphere. Pokémon were a lot better at detecting danger than people were and Jay looked far from his usual carefree self, fur bristled and ears flat back against his neck as he looked around.

There was definitely something odd about this place.

A sound echoed from somewhere nearby, breaking the silence like shattered glass.

_Crash_!

Ryan froze instantly, as did Jay. There was something down here.

“It's probably just… a wild Pokémon…” he said, quiet enough that his voice wouldn’t be carried by the echo. The Umbreon looked up at him wide-eyed, though whether he’d actually registered what he said or not Ryan wasn’t sure. “Or it might be Myra. Let’s keep going.”

Hearing his own heartbeat thumping loudly in his ears, Ryan swallowed his nerves, walking slowly through the old building. It was larger than he’d originally thought; each room seemed to lead to others, until the place seemed like a dark maze. If the lights were working it would have felt a lot less easy to get lost in here.

Eventually they must have found their way either deeper underground, or to somewhere with less gaps in the ceiling. Ryan halted, as the way ahead was now completely pitch black. Were there even rooms beyond this?

“H-hello?” he called nervously, hoping that the Musharna would answer. “Myra?”

He still didn’t know if she was even down here. Maybe he should have taken warning from the sound earlier, because they certainly weren’t alone.

Bright red eyes lit up ahead of them. Eyes that glowed in the dark, not enough to light the room but bright enough that it was impossible to see any kind of emotion within them.

The yelp Jay let out as he jumped back in surprise was well justified. Ryan stepped back as well, feeling his breath catch in his throat.

_What kind of Pokémon is that!?_

“Stay back!”

The soft voice caught him off guard, glancing around in time to see a mass of dark energy shooting towards them. Ryan ended up falling over backwards onto the tiles to avoid it, too stunned to realise how hard the ground was.

Whatever the eyes had belonged to, it didn’t stand a chance against the attack. Instead of the shriek of an injured Pokémon, though, just silence.

Silence and sparks. Electricity fizzed around whatever the creature had been, bringing light to the dark room before it finally cut out and the eyes vanished, leaving the room as a black void once more.

“W-what… was…?” Ryan could barely get his words out. Had that even been a Pokémon? It had to have been; what else _could_ it be? He was snapped out of his daze as Jay suddenly jumped into his arms, trembling. It wouldn’t be fair to make any comment about him being scared, so Ryan simply hugged the dark-type instead, hoping that would calm him down.

“Are you two okay?”

It was the voice he’d heard before. A vague pink fog hovered in the air, only just visible in the low light. It was difficult to see much, but as he looked around, Ryan finally noticed the pink creature hovering in the air nearby.

“We are now… I think,” he replied, casting a glance at the Umbreon sitting on him. Jay wasn’t shaking anymore, ears twitching as if he were trying to wave away the fact that he’d been scared. “Are… are you Myra?”

“Yes,” the psychic-type said softly. “I am sorry. Bianca must be worried, if she asked you to look for me.”

“So why did you leave?” Ryan asked. She must have had a reason to go to a place as creepy as this.

“It seems like you can understand me,” Myra cooed. “Maybe you will be able to help. I do not know telepathy; I could not ask my trainer.”

“If it’s something we can help with, we will,” Ryan nodded, attempting to get up before realising that Jay was still sitting on his legs. With a quiet ‘oh’ of realisation, the Umbreon jumped back onto the tiles of the floor, clearing his throat.

“I have not met a person who could understand my words in a long time,” Myra commented quietly, waiting for Ryan to get back to his feet. “And it is not me that needs help. Please follow…”

As the Musharna floated away through the building, Ryan and Jay followed silently. The boy didn’t know where exactly they were going, but he couldn’t remember seeing these rooms before. Maybe they were taking a different path than the way they came. Regardless, he hoped they’d be able to find the way back out of here afterwards…

Eventually they arrived at a room which was slightly lighter than the others, a gap in the ceiling allowing a beam of sunlight to break through. In the corner of a room there was a nest made up of grass and leaves, and another Musharna lay in it.

“This is Mu. When the strange Pokémon showed up here, she was badly injured. I came here to help, but for some reason I was not able to locate the other Pokémon to chase it off. I could not detect its life force. It may have had a barrier.”

“She’s hurt?” Ryan asked quietly, regarding that as the most important part of her explanation.

“Yes. Mu has stayed here since, using the moonlight to recover, but she is not as strong as she used to be…”

“Okay. I understand.” The older Musharna did look rather weak, and he had the feeling that berries wouldn’t be enough to heal her. Motioning for Jay to stay where he was, Ryan walked forward, kneeling beside the nest. “Excuse me, Mu?”

“Muu…” the Pokémon shifted her head a little, as if to show that she could hear him.

“Mu doesn’t like to speak often,” Myra explained softly.

“Alright. Mu, would you be okay with us taking you to the Pokémon Centre? I’m sure they could heal you there…”

“Mu…”

“Is… that a yes or no…?”

As if to try and properly answer his question, Mu began to hover slightly, moving forwards to nudge his arm. _I think that’s a yes._

“Okay.” He was about to reach out to try and help by picking the psychic-type up, but then remembered this was not one of the Pokémon from the forest back home, and she might not appreciate a stranger carrying her. “Myra, could you help? I don’t think she should be made to try and get to the Centre on her own.”

“Yes, of course,” she nodded, floating over to rest one short arm on Mu’s side. A slight pink glow appeared; an indication that the younger Musharna was using her psychic power.

“Now we just need to find the way out of here,” Ryan muttered.

“That is okay. We can show you the way out,” Myra told him as she guided the older Pokémon forwards. “Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

As they waited for the Pokémon Centre staff to heal Mu, Ryan explained to Bianca what had happened and why Myra had left. She was overjoyed to have her Pokémon back.

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Bianca said, hugging Myra close to her. It seemed the psychic-type was used to her trainer’s excitable personality. “I wish I’d know that. I would have helped!”

“I guess sometimes it must be difficult for Pokémon to get their message across,” Ryan shrugged.

“It must be amazing to be able to understand Pokémon,” Bianca mused, sitting back in the seat. “I bet it’s fun to be able to talk to them! Isn’t it weird? I mean, you can just have a conversation with Pokémon as if they were people!”

“Not really much different for me. I’ve been able to understand them for as long as I remember. Probably because Dad can.”

“Oh! Well, I suppose that does make sense,” she said thoughtfully.

In a brief moment of quiet, Ryan recalled the eyes he’d seen in the darkness. He hadn’t mentioned that part to Bianca. While she was focused on her Pokémon, he tried scrolling through the Pokédex Juniper had given him; it had detected a handful of Pokémon they’d passed on their journey so far, including Musharna, but there was nothing that resembled the thing in the Dreamyard. Had it even _been_ a Pokémon?

“Mu…!”

“Mu! You are better!” Myra cheered, floating over to the older Musharna. The two psychic-types exchanged nudges and happy coos, clearly both glad that Mu was healed.

“She should be fine,” stated the nurse with a smile on her face.

“That’s great!” Bianca said happily. “In that case, I guess we should take her back to her home in the Dreamyard. Thank you, miss!”

“No problem. It's what we’re here for!” the nurse smiled, before heading back towards her position at the counter.

Beaming as she watched the Pokémon, Bianca eventually turned to the boy. “So Ryan, what are you guys doing now?”

“Continuing on the way to Aspertia City, probably,” Ryan explained.

“And food! Don’t forget the food!”

“And getting lunch,” he added, courtesy of the Umbreon who was now hopping excitedly around him.

“Oh! Well, since we’re travelling the same way, why don’t you come with us?” Bianca grinned. “And you _have_ to try the food they have at Striaton Restaurant! It's _amazing_! Tell you what; since you helped to find my Pokémon, lunch is on me!”

Jay was looking up at Ryan with gleaming eyes, clearly liking the sound of the food.  Ryan let out a quiet sigh at the dark-type, but even so it was accompanied by a laugh. “Okay. Thanks, Bianca.”


	15. Chance Encounter

Ryan found it hard to believe that Bianca was the same age as his mother, considering how different the two of them were. Touko always seemed so mature, whereas Bianca acted like an excitable child. She pointed out anything vaguely interesting on their path with a burst of enthusiasm, and sometimes her gait would turn into an energetic skip before she’d remember that she wasn’t alone, quickly returning to a walk as if she wanted to try and seem more professional.

In all honesty, she did remind him a little of Jay…

“Right! So!” she announced, not long after they passed the far gate of Nacrene City. “To get to Aspertia City, we just take the boat from Castelia to Virbank, and then head past Floccesy Town!”

“Right…” Ryan sighed quietly. The Oshawott clinging to his shoulder gave him a concerned glance. Since Bianca seemed to be in a hurry after the delay, they hadn’t really gotten a chance to explore the areas around here. Wasn’t that the whole point of a journey?

“Hmm?” Bianca glanced back, obviously picking up that something was amiss. “What’s wrong?”

“Erm, nothing…”

“Well, okay!” she smiled and continued walking. “Y’know, there’s the greatest view of the river from Skyarrow Bridge!”

As Ryan tried to tune out her constant commentary on the surrounding areas, he felt something tug at his hair.

“I-if you want to look around, maybe you should tell her,” Mariana suggested quietly.

“My paws are tired,” Jay whined, stopping to shake each one in turn.

“Okay, okay…” Ryan murmured. He raised his voice slightly. “Um, Bianca? Why don’t you continue without us? I think Jay’s tired.” That seemed like a good enough excuse, right?

“Oh? Well, he doesn’t have to walk!” Bianca responded with a bright smile. “You could put him inside his Poké ball!”

“I… I guess…” Ryan mumbled. He cast a glance at the Oshawott; she was looking at him with a nervous yet confident look in her eyes. Perhaps this was one of the things she was trying to learn, knowing when to speak up. “That’s… not the only reason though. I mean, we’re kinda travelling to explore the region…”

“Well, you’re on your journey, of course you are!” Bianca smiled. It took a moment for what he’d said to click. “Ohh, wait, I get it! I guess you want to take your time seeing places along the way, huh? Well, I need to get back to Aspertia soon, so if you’ll be okay travelling on your own…”

Ryan nodded, hoping he didn’t seem _too_ enthusiastic at the thought of her leaving. He liked Bianca, but she was in so much of a hurry…

“I guess if you weren’t, Touko wouldn’t have let you travel here alone, huh?” she said sheepishly. “Okay. Well, I’ll see you when you get to Aspertia City! Bye!” With an abrupt wave of farewell, she continued along the path.

Ryan waved back, waiting until she was out of sight before heaving a sigh of relief. Jay had already flopped over onto the ground, and in all honesty he wasn’t the only one who was worn out from all the walking. “Okay, maybe we should rest for a while. Not in the middle of the path, though, Jay.” He nudged the dark-type with his foot.

“But I’m _tired_ ,” the Umbreon complained.

“You can’t even walk a few meters?” Ryan tutted as he wandered over to sit at the base of one of the trees lining the path. Not wanting to be left in the middle of the route alone, Jay soon hurried over to join them, lying next to the tree instead.

Since they were going to be here for a while, Ryan took this as a good opportunity to look at the map. Mariana stretched her neck to look over his shoulder at the paper he’d unfolded. “What’s that?”

“It's a map. Unova.”

“But Unova’s bigger than—”

“It’s a scale map. It's supposed to be smaller.”

“Oh, I see.”

Ryan looked to the south of the map, trying to work out where exactly they were. He visually followed the path from Nuvema Town until he reached the answer. “Pinwheel Forest. That’s where we are.” It looked like the trees became denser further along the path, and it split ahead; one way led deeper into the forest while the other opened out into a field. The map showed the forest route as being the one they needed to take.

After waiting fifteen minutes to get their energy back and greeting any wild Pokémon who wandered past, the small group finally continued on their way. They had been lucky with the weather so far, the days having been moderately cloudy at worst, and even now only a calming breeze rustled past. Silently, Ryan wondered how long that luck would last. Back home, he never really paid much attention to the weather forecast, but now he was travelling, perhaps he should…

Once they reached the fork in the path, he was dragged out of his thoughts by a voice.

“Aha… daylight… finally… dear Arceus…” A Pokémon stumbled out of the thick forest shadows. It wobbled a little before collapsing on the path. “Ow…”

“Who’s that?” Jay blinked.

More concerned with helping the creature than answering Jay’s question, Ryan hurried towards it. Mariana hadn’t quite been ready for the movement and toppled backwards, but managed to grab the handle on his backpack before she could fall.

When he finally reached the creature he knelt down, trying to work out why it was in such a state. The Pokémon was a Mienfoo, and Ryan briefly wondered if she looked familiar before pushing the thought aside in favour of trying to help. There was an odd colour to the creature’s fur, a few hints of purple among the pink and yellow. _Poison_.

He slid the bag off his shoulders, about to drop it on the ground before the action was met with a squeak of surprise. “Oh! Sorry, Mariana.”

“Um, i-it’s fine,” she said with a shaky voice, sliding back down to the safety of solid ground.

Jay looked hopefully at him as he fished the berry pouch from his bag, but Ryan ignored the gaze, finding one of the pecha berries he’d picked from the garden at home and placing it in front of the Mienfoo. At first there was no response, but when she caught the scent of the berry she opened one eye.

“Huh…?” Her gaze changed to a weak look of surprise. “Oh, it’s—it’s _you_!”

“Here,” Ryan insisted, nudging the berry closer. He remembered why the Pokémon seemed so familiar now. “You’re poisoned. Eat this.”

Slowly and unsteadily pushing herself into a sitting position, the Mienfoo eventually reached out to pick up the berry with one paw. After a moment of inspecting the fruit, the Pokémon eventually took a bite. A few seconds later she sighed in relief, the purple colour fading from her fur as she ate.

Jay, meanwhile, had taken to sulking instead. Mariana wandered over cautiously to pat his shoulder.

“Okay, okay,” Ryan smiled, taking three oran berries out of the sachet and sharing them around.

“Yay!” Jay cheered, having wolfed down his berry within seconds. The Mienfoo eyed the berry offered to her for a moment before shrugging and taking it from his hand.

Ryan waited until she was finished eating to ask his question. “Aren’t you the same Mienfoo I saw on Route 9? How did you get all the way out here?”

“I walked,” she shrugged casually, as if it was an obvious answer.

“Why?”

“Hmm…” Standing at last and crossing her arms, the Mienfoo glanced around innocently. “I won’t say I was looking for you, because that sounds kinda creepy.”

“So… you _were_ looking for us?” Ryan couldn’t hide the confusion from his voice.

“However did you guess?” she smirked. “You’re a really weird human. I’ve never met one I could have a conversation with before. Just doesn’t work, y’know?”

“But… how did you even know where to find us?” Honestly, Ryan had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to overwhelm the poor creature after she’d just finished recovering from poison.

“I tried looking for you in the city near that route – which was terrible, by the way, wouldn’t recommend it.” She shook her head. “You and that fiery man were talking about a place called New-vay-mar Town or something, so I just asked for directions. As it turns out, Venipede are the least neighbourly Pokémon on this side of the region.” Turning to look towards the forest, she stuck out her tongue.

“Does that mean you want to come with us?” Jay spoke up, hopping forwards.

“What’s it to you, circle boy?” the Mienfoo snorted, stepping away from him and taking up an overdramatic martial arts pose.

She didn’t have to do anything more than that for Jay to yelp in fear, scrambling backwards. “She’s a _fighting_ -type…!”

“You do realise I don’t even know any fighting moves yet, right?” She rolled her eyes with a smirk. “What a wuss.”

“I am _not_!” Jay protested, puffing out his cheeks in a sulk.

“Hey, hey, look,” Ryan interrupted. “You’re free to come with us if you want, but only if you don’t bully Jay.”

“No sweat. You always gotta be nice to friends, right? C’mere, ya ball of fluff.” Without another word, the Mienfoo wrapped an arm around Jay’s neck, ruffling his ears.

“Hey!” Jay huffed, trying to wriggle out of her grip. “I’ll be your friend if you don’t do _that_!”

“Alright then!” She released him, hopping over to stand in front of Ryan instead, holding out one paw. “This is how you greet humans, right? I’ve seen them do it before.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Ryan laughed, shaking her paw. “If you’re going to be travelling with us, do you mind if I put you in a Poké ball?”

“Sure, I—you’re not going to throw it at me, are you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then sure. After travelling over land, desert, and many human bridges, I like the sound of not having to walk everywhere.” While Ryan hunted through his bag for one of the Poké balls he’d bought from the mart at Bianca’s advice, the Mienfoo wandered over to Mariana. “You’re an Oshawott, right?”

“Um… yeah, hi,” Mariana replied, shy as usual.

“That’s cool! I’ve never met an Oshawott before.” She gently patted Mariana’s head; the water-type was only two-thirds of her height. “Wow, having friends is awesome!”

“Yes.” Mariana gave a small smile.

“Aha!” Ryan said at last, locating one of the capsules. He placed it on the ground. “Alright, um… do you have a name?”

“Charlotte. Or, y’know, just Char if you’re feeling lazy. Humans have names too, right?”

“Yeah. My name’s Ryan.”

“Nice to be travelling with you, Ryan! Alright, what does this thing do?” She motioned to the Poké ball. “I’m supposed to fit inside there somehow?”

“Just… touch it, I guess.” He rolled it forwards.

“Alright then. Let’s see…” Charlotte stepped towards the capsule, reaching out with one front paw. As soon as she touched it, a flash of red light appeared and dragged her inside. “ _Whoa_ —!”

Then the capsule closed. It rocked back and forth a few times before falling still with a click. With that signal, Ryan picked up the Poké ball, pressing the release button.

Light poured from the capsule once more and the Mienfoo reappeared, shaking her head briefly. “Wow. That was weird. It’s better than I imagined it’d be.”

“Well, that’s good,” Ryan said with a half-hearted smile. “We’re actually heading to the next city right now, so if you want to go back inside the Poké ball and rest—”

“Rest? Nah, I’m raring to go! I just made some _friends_!” Charlotte exclaimed. With that enthusiastic outburst, she skipped off along the path. “Off we go!”

“The next city in the other direction.”

Char halted. “… Right. I knew that!” Doing an about-turn, she hurried to catch up with them.

 

* * *

 

It was a rather uneventful trip from that point on. Pinwheel Forest went by quickly, as Ryan decided it’d be better just to pass on through after a Venipede threatened to ‘bite his eyes out’ and shove them somewhere; sometimes he was better off _not_ understanding what these creatures were saying.

He’d kept his Pokémon in their Poké balls during the walk over Skyarrow Bridge, worried that one of them might fall off. The railings were built to keep humans safe, rather than smaller creatures that could easily fit through the gaps and fall to the busy road below. Even though he had to make the walk alone, there was an amazing view of Castelia City’s skyline from the bridge, as well as the vast river with boats sailing past below.

Upon reaching the tunnel between the bridge and the city, Ryan took the chance to look at the map on the electronic billboard. After that, he headed straight for Castelia’s port; Aspertia City was the furthest southwest in Unova, so they’d most likely be returning through here at some point and would have a chance to explore the city then. Ryan wanted to get to his first gym in Unova as quickly as possible!

After taking a boat and passing through Virbank, it was beginning to get dark when they reached Floccesy Town. They’d only passed the first few buildings when Jay suddenly ran on ahead.

“Jay, what are you—”

Ryan didn’t even need to finish his question, as it was soon answered. The Umbreon had trotted up to a nearby person, sitting impressively patiently as they slowly reached down to pet him.

“Hmm, you look familiar. Didn’t I see you recently?” the man chuckled, petting the dark-type’s ears. There was no mistaking that flaming red hair; it seemed to go perfect with the colour of the sky at this time of day. Giving Jay one last pat, Alder stood up straight, holding one hand to his back as he looked around and eventually noticed the boy. “Why, if it isn’t Brian!”

He couldn’t help but sigh as he walked over to join them. “My name is Ryan…”

“Ryan! Yes, yes, of course it is. You sure got here fast, son! In a hurry to get somewhere?”

“We’re going to Aspertia City to challenge the gym there! The gym leader is an old friend of my parents.”

“Ah, yes, Cheren! That boy never did have much respect for his elders,” Alder laughed. “Still, I guess he’ll have to put up with that himself before long. It feels like such little time has passed since I was in my thirties… that’s what age does to you. Anyway,” he continued, cutting off his own rambling. “If you’re planning on challenging Cheren, you’re better off going to see him in the morning. Early as you like; he’s usually up working at the crack of dawn!”

“Okay,” Ryan nodded. He doubted his Pokémon would be up to a gym battle after travelling all day anyways. “See you later, mister Alder!” He raced off in search of the Pokémon Centre, Jay hurrying after him.

“Hmm?” Alder blinked in surprise. “Oh, farewell!” He raised one arm in a wave, laughing to himself. “Kids are always in such a rush these days.”


	16. The One Who Seeks the Right Path

“Alright, Ryan, maybe it’s time to give poor Cinccino a break. You’ll wear her out if you play tag for much longer.”

“Aww,” the six-year-old whined, his joyful run slowing to a halt. The chinchilla Pokémon settled by his side, looking slightly out of breath as she ran her paws over her ears. Her silky fur gleamed in the sunlight; the dusty mud that had stuck to it from the ground easily washed off.

“I don’t know where you get all this energy from.” N shook his head with a smile. “Alright, alright.” Noticing how crestfallen his son looked at the game being interrupted, he crouched down, holding his arms out. “C’mere.”

Face lighting up happily once more, Ryan raced towards him, jumping into his arms with so much force that when N caught the boy he was bowled over. Even so, as he fell back against the dusty ground he couldn’t help but laugh. “Cinccino is the one who’s supposed to use tackle, not you!”

From across the field, Touko couldn’t help but smile as she watched them. A small sigh escaped her as she cast a glance at the person to her left. “See, Cheren? You can’t honestly say that he’s not a good father.”

The raven-haired man raised an eyebrow at her statement. “I never said anything of the sort, Touko.”

“I know you, Cheren. And I know that expression.”

“Okay, so perhaps I still don’t _completely_ trust him, but… I know _you_ well enough to trust your judgement.” Cheren continued begrudgingly, “I suppose he does seem to be doing a decent job of looking after Ryan.”

“I suppose that’s the best I’ll get out of you, huh?” Touko said with a soft laugh. Cheren never had been too fond of N, after everything that happened with Team Plasma. At least he seemed to have accepted that N would never do anything to hurt her.

Cheren gave a half-hearted smile. “Besides, in a few more days he’ll be your husband. Certainly took him long enough.”

Touko just rolled her eyes. “Taking a leaf outta your book, eh, Cheren?” She nudged his arm, her gaze obviously landing on the wedding ring on his other hand.

“Yes, well…” Cheren cleared his throat. “Hm.”

“You’re one to talk, huh?” she joked. It was only a few years ago that he’d finally proposed to Bianca. She couldn’t remember how long it had taken for them to officially become a couple, but it had been _a while_.

Speaking of Bianca, the blonde woman had been sat on one of the benches, watching father and son play out on the battlefield with the gym’s Pokémon. Now, with a nervous look in her eyes – which was rare for Bianca – she slowly made her way over to them. By now N was sat up, the boy settled on his lap as he hugged the Cinccino; she seemed to have recovered from the earlier game and was now relishing in all the attention.

Upon noticing her approach, instinctively N put his arms around his son to draw him closer, like a Pokémon protecting their offspring. The boy just blinked up at her in surprise.

“Erm, hi N, um…” For a moment she just stood there, shuffling nervously.

“… Hello, Bianca. Did you want something?” N asked when she didn’t finish her sentence. He still had a slightly wary expression on his face, but at least he was trying to be polite.

“Well, I, um… oh, he’s just so cuuute…!” she gushed, thankfully not as loud as her usual outbursts, and soon managed to contain her enthusiasm. “Could I hold him? Um, if that’s okay…”

N looked a little surprised by her request. Before he could reply, he was interrupted by a quiet “her” as Ryan blinked up at the lady, obviously thinking she was referring to the Cinccino.

“Ryan, I think she means you,” N said quietly, gently lifting the Pokémon out of his arms. He cast a glance at Bianca. “Okay, as long as he doesn’t mind.”

Seeming to have understood the gist of the conversation, Ryan climbed off his father’s lap and tottered over to Bianca, looking up at her with wide blue eyes.

“Hi there,” she said quietly with a friendly smile. “Can I pick you up? Is that okay?”

The boy gave no worded response; he often remained silent around people he didn’t know. At the question, however, he blinked a few times before eventually holding his arms up.

“That’s a yes,” N explained, climbing back to his feet and trying to dust off his clothes. “Just… be careful with him.”

“Alright, I know,” Bianca nodded, carefully hooking her hands under the six-year-old’s arms before lifting him into the air. “Oof, you’re heavy!” she giggled, managing to find the right way to hold him at last despite the child’s squirming. Once he was being carried properly he settled down.

Out of earshot, Touko let out a quiet sigh of relief. Even Bianca’s enthusiastic attitude could be calmed when needed. Even so, she could see what a bright smile Bianca had as the child settled in her arms.

“I bet Bianca will make a good mother someday, right Cheren?” Touko winked, a cheeky grin on her face. “You two should have kids.”

She’d been watching his face for a reaction of embarrassment from her teasing, but Cheren was simply watching the others with a slightly downcast expression. A barely audible sigh escaped him. “Yeah… I don’t know about that.”

“Aw, come on,” she tutted. “I bet you’d make a great father too! A slightly strict father, perhaps, but great all the same.”

“No, I mean… we can’t have kids. Not biologically, anyway.” Cheren cast a glance at her, forcing a half-hearted smile which only held up for a few seconds. “Bianca was heartbroken when she found out.”

“You mean—” Touko stopped part way through her question, eyes widening slightly. “Oh, Cheren, I’m sorry! If I’d know, I wouldn’t have—”

“No, it’s fine, Touko,” Cheren interrupted. “Just… don’t mention it to her, okay?”

Looking out across the gym, seeing how happy Bianca looked, Touko couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity. “You could always adopt, right? You’re no stranger to paperwork.”

“Yeah. It’s a long process, though. I thought I’d give some time before bringing it up with her again.” Cheren’s smile, though still forced, was a little more genuine this time. It soon gave way to a smirk, the snarky one Cheren often owned. “No rush, right? Miss mother-at-twenty?”

“Oh, shush,” Touko huffed, slugging him in the arm.

 

* * *

 

_Is this really the gym? It looks like a school!_

Ryan stared up at the building for a long moment. Aspertia City was rather large for somewhere so rural, and when he’d asked for directions to the gym, this was the place he’d been guided to. But this looked nothing like the gym in Greenway, which stood out among the regular houses and shops and practically screamed dark-types. This just looked like an ordinary building, not much different from his school back home.

“Well, I guess it’s supposed to be a normal-type gym… and schools are normal…” he mumbled to himself. His Pokémon were all inside their Poké balls so they could rest before the gym battle. He’d spoken to all three of them beforehand, mostly to explain to Mariana and Charlotte how gym battles worked.

Unfortunately, none of them knew any fighting-type moves, not even Char, so they might be at a slight disadvantage. Jay had managed to scrape through the dark-type gym without knowing any super-effective moves, so hopefully they’d be okay. At least Ryan had battled some trainers with Char on the way here, so he knew what moves she could use now.

As he made his way to the door of the building, he glanced at the sign outside.

_Aspertia City Pokémon Gym_

_Gym Leader: Cheren_

_“The one who seeks the right path.”_

At least that confirmed this _was_ actually the gym. Although, even when he stepped inside the building, it still seemed a lot like a school. He was in a corridor, with a few doors leading off into classrooms, and there was no gym guide like there had been at the Greenway Gym. What exactly was he supposed to do?

He wandered along the corridor, hoping to eventually find somewhere that looked like part of a Pokémon gym. Ryan couldn’t help but feel like he should know this place; he’d been here before, even if it _was_ many years ago. Perhaps all the time spent at school back home had made memories of this one fade. He had only been here once, after all.

It wasn’t long before a person appeared from one of the nearby rooms; a man with a smart-looking suit and tie, and shoulder-length black hair tied into a short ponytail at the back. He held a small pile of textbooks in his arms, and as he passed by Ryan he paused to greet him and shifted the stack to one arm. “Hello, you must be new here. Welcome to the trainer’s school!”

At those words, Ryan’s expression changed to confusion. “Trainer’s school? Isn’t this the gym…?”

“Ah, I see, that’s what you’re here for!” The man smiled, using his free hand to straighten his tie. “Yes, this place doubles up as the Aspertia Gym too. I’ll show you the way to the battlefield, if you’d like.”

“Yes please,” Ryan nodded.

“Alright. This way.” He began walking in the direction Ryan had just come from. It was a good thing someone had found him or he might have ended up completely lost.

Ryan followed the man through the building, gazing around in awe at everything they passed. He’d never been to a school dedicated to trainers before. There were battle posters up on the walls, charts showing which types where effective against which, images of various Pokémon and information about them… there was the odd Pokémon poster up on the walls at his school, but here everything seemed a lot more professional. It almost made him jealous.

The man stopped briefly to return the textbooks he was carrying to a row of shelves as they passed. Noting Ryan’s fascinated look at the surroundings, he smiled. “I take it you’re a trainer, then? Is this your first gym battle?”

“Second. I beat the gym in Greenway City!” He resisted the urge to pull out the badge case and show off the pin inside. “It’s outside Unova, but it’s supposed to still count as one of the eight I need to go to the league.”

“Ah, yes. Thanks to the new regulations put in a few years back, non-region-locked badges count towards entry to Victory Road now.” Sliding the final book back into place, the man finally signalled to continue walking. “I apologise if I’m asking a lot of questions, but by any chance is your name Ryan?”

The boy froze momentarily. “Yes? How did you…?”

Glancing back at him, the man smiled. “I guess you don’t recognise me then. It must have been six or seven years – how old are you now?”

“I’m twelve, but…” Ryan trailed off as it finally clicked. “Cheren!?”

“So you _do_ remember me! I was beginning to think I’d been forgotten,” the gym leader joked. “Off on your journey at last, I see. Bianca was telling me that she’d seen you recently. Hopefully she didn’t give you any broken ribs.”

“Fortunately,” Ryan muttered under his breath.

“Following in your mother’s footsteps…” Cheren gave a quiet sigh. “Anyway, if you’re here to challenge the gym, I hope you’ve come prepared. Just because you’re Touko’s son doesn’t mean I’ll take it easy on you.”

“Good. It’d be boring if you did!” Ryan responded, determination in his voice.

“Well, I see you have her stubbornness, at least,” he chuckled. Cheren stopped next to a door, typing a numbered code into a keypad next to it before holding down a button. “Mandy! Elliot! To the battlefield, please. We have a challenger!”

 

* * *

 

While the rest of the building hadn’t looked familiar to him, the battlefield certainly did. The inside of the school might have changed since he was last here, all those years ago, but the gym remained the same, bar the lines on the field which had been repainted to stop them fading. Ryan was silently glad that the gym was outside in the sun rather than in a pitch-black building with no windows.

A few minutes after they arrived, two schoolchildren raced out onto the field. They looked the same age as Ryan, give or take, and they were each carrying Poké balls.

“Morning, you two!” Cheren called, lifting one hand in a wave. “Sorry for pulling you out of lessons, but I thought this would be a good experience for both of you.”

“It's fine, Mr Cheren!” the kids chorused. The look in their eyes showed that being chosen to fight the gym challengers was quite an honour.

“Alright. Remember to ask your teachers for notes if you missed anything important. Anyway, this is Ryan. He’s the challenger you’ll be facing today.”

“Ryan, huh?” the boy echoed, walking up to stand in front of him. He was almost a foot taller than Ryan. “He looks like an eight-year-old!”

“Hey!”

“Elliot, not everyone is a giant like you,” the girl scoffed.

“Manners, you two,” Cheren warned. Even if he was the gym leader here, it was clear he must be a teacher as well. “Elliot, since you seem so eager, you can battle first.”

“Yeah! Shrimp, I’m gonna wipe the floor with you!”

Ryan just scowled. He didn’t like this kid; reminded him too much of Liam.

“Alright, since Clyde is teaching right now, I suppose I might as well explain how this gym works,” Cheren continued. “Ryan, you will need to defeat these two before you can battle me, okay?”

“Okay.” This definitely fit a normal-type gym; you didn’t even have to do anything unusual to get through it.

Cheren clapped his hands together. “Right. Positions, people!”

“Come on, shrimp! Are you old enough to know where you’re supposed to stand?”

“I’m twelve years old!”

“Whoa! How are you the same age as me? I can barely see you!”

“Shut up!”

“Aren’t they supposed to be using their _Pokémon_ to battle?” Mandy commented quietly.

Cheren just let out an exasperated sigh. “Boys will be boys. Alright, before my hair turns grey, each of you, send out your first Pokémon.”

“Yes, Mr Cheren! Buddy, it’s time to battle!” Elliot tossed a Poké ball into the air. Light split from the capsule, and a moment later a Lillipup landed on the ground with a happy yip.

Knowing he was likely to battle some gym trainers before Cheren, Ryan already knew who he was going to send out. Charlotte was the newest member of the team and had battled with him the least, so he didn’t want her first fight of the day to be against a gym leader.

Instead, he sent her out against the gym trainers first. As soon as she noticed the Lillipup, Charlotte took up a defensive pose. “Battle, right? Awesome.”

“Yeah,” Ryan shrugged simply, ignoring the weird look Elliot gave him. Perhaps he should use that hesitation to his advantage, seeing as the taller boy hadn’t called out an order yet. “Swift.”

“Look out, puppy!” the Mienfoo called, jumping into the air and sending a flurry of energy-filled stars shooting at the normal-type. It tried to run but the projectiles were homing, easily catching it and dealing some damage.

“Don’t you even know how to use super-effective moves?” Elliot scoffed. “You’ve got a fighting-type! You should make it use a fighting-type move if you want to win!”

Ryan didn’t even bother trying to reply. The boy was just going to mock him either way, and besides, he’d been in enough trouble in the past for overreacting to people teasing him…

“Now, Buddy, use bite!”

The puppy yipped and ran forwards, clamping its teeth onto Charlotte’s arm. The fighting-type glanced up at the rival trainer with a confused expression; the attack had hardly done anything, especially since the fur on her arms was rather thick. “Is this supposed to hurt?”

“You complain at him for not using a fighting-type move on a normal-type, and then you use a dark-type move on a type that resists it?” Mandy called, tutting loudly.

“Hey, the whole resistances thing is difficult to remember!”

“Char, use pound.”

The poor Lillipup was dislodged by a punch to the face. After taking the attack from earlier, that was enough to defeat it.

Elliot just stared at the fainted Pokémon for a moment before looking back at Ryan. “I want a rematch!”

“Elliot, you should accept your defeat. That’s part of being a Pokémon trainer, after all,” Cheren lectured. “Besides, Buddy needs to rest before he can battle again.”

The boy just huffed, but a stern glare from the gym leader caused him to instantly change his attitude. “Yes, Mr Cheren. Uh… congratulations, challenger. You defeated me, so you’ll have no trouble at all beating Mandy!”

“Shut up, Elliot!”

 

* * *

 

Contrary to the boy’s words, Mandy had been a slightly more talented trainer. Although, she did have two Pokémon with her; a Lillipup and a Patrat. Charlotte had taken a few hits in that battle but she still seemed determined to fight.

As the Patrat was returned to its Poké ball, Cheren clapped his hands together. “Alright, well done, Ryan! Elliot and Mandy, you two should get back to class so you don’t miss anything else.” A teasing smile spread on his face. “Like homework.”

“Aww,” both kids groaned in unison at the last word. “Fine.” “Yes, Mr Cheren!”

Ryan watched as the two of them headed back into the building, Elliot looking a lot more downcast than Mandy did. Homework was certainly one of the things Ryan wasn’t sad to leave behind.

“Alright then. Are you ready for the gym battle?”

He hadn’t even noticed that Cheren was no longer standing beside him; the gym leader had moved to a platform overlooking the battlefield, standing with his arms folded as he waited for a response. Cheren definitely held the aura of a teacher.

After casting a glance over at Charlotte, who stepped forward to stand next to her trainer, Ryan nodded. “Yes. We’re ready.”

“You have one gym badge already, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay then. In that case, you’ll be up against slightly different Pokémon than the trainers who come here for their first gym battle.” Taking a Poké ball from his pocket, he enlarged the capsule before releasing the creature inside. “Fergus!”

A gruff bark announced the Herdier’s appearance as it stood tall, fur ruffled slightly by the breeze.

“Sheesh, what a hairy beast,” Charlotte muttered.

“Oy! Enough of the attitude with ye, lass!” the dog growled, teeth hidden behind the mop of fur on his muzzle.

“I have two Pokémon, but you may use as many as you have on hand,” Cheren stated matter-of-factly. “Good luck.”

Ryan gave a small nod. _He’s wishing me luck in a battle against him. He certainly isn’t planning on holding back._

“Charlotte, you ready?”

“Pfft, sure! Let’s kick some furry butt.”

“In that case…” If he could call a move first, they might have the upper hand. It was a shame Char didn’t know any fighting-type moves yet or this would be a lot easier. “Swift.”

“Fergus, tackle!”

The star-shaped energy scraped the dog but he seemed almost unaffected as he raced forward, slamming into the Mienfoo. Taken aback by the force, Charlotte shrieked in surprise as she was launched across the battlefield, stirring up a cloud of dust as she landed.

She was still tired from the earlier battles, Ryan knew that. Even as the Mienfoo shakily got back to her paws, Ryan didn’t want to push her strength. Ignoring Charlotte’s slightly surprised expression, he returned her to her Poké ball.

“Go, Jay!”

“Fergus, take down!”

The Umbreon barely even had a chance to correct his balance after leaving the capsule before the Herdier crashed into him with a tremendous force. It sent him flying, sliding across the dusty ground before he eventually rolled over and got back to his paws.

“That wasn’t nice!”

Such a powerful attack, but it must have hurt Fergus as well. Ryan was glad he’d used the TM Ebony had given him.

“Jay, payback!”

Eyes glowing with stubborn anger at the sudden attack he’d been hit with, Jay darted forward, smashing into Fergus’ side. The dog was hit with such force, he easily lost his balance, hitting the earth and scraping a short line on the battlefield.

Fergus had taken a lot of damage from that, but he wasn’t defeated yet.

“Why did you do that?”

The question caught him off guard as Ryan glanced up at the person who’d said it. Cheren’s expression gave nothing away about the battle situation, not a trace of worry, just simple curiosity.

“Do what…?” He’d better not be trying to distract him. That wouldn’t be fair.

“You switched Pokémon. Your Mienfoo was about to get up; she could still fight.”

“I didn’t want her to.”

He didn’t want to let his Pokémon faint. True, it would take a lot to knock them out, rather than just sap enough of their energy to render them unable to battle until they’d rested. But, after what had happened to Jay, when they battled against that guy with the Espeon…

No time to think about that now. They were in the middle of a battle.

“Jay, tackle!”

“Take down!”

The attacks collided, stirring up more dust. Fergus had made a more powerful move, but the Umbreon’s tackle would have added more recoil damage.

That was why, when the dust cleared, the dog flopped onto his side, exhausted.

“Good job, Fergus.” Cheren called his Pokémon back, looking at the capsule for a brief moment before swapping it for another.

“Jay, are you alright?” Ryan asked.

The Umbreon didn’t reply, too out of breath after the powerful attacks he’d taken. His legs were shaking slightly, even though he was just standing. Ryan wasn’t going to make him battle when he was worn out, whether he was capable of attacking or not.

That meant he only had one Pokémon left. Cheren did too, but Ryan had no idea what it was. He found out soon enough.

“Go, Cinnia!”

The Pokémon appeared in a flurry of fur, quickly sorting herself out. Some dust stuck to her coat as she landed, but she easily shook it off, blinking up at the challenger curiously.

“Oh, your scent is familiar! Most of the people we battle are strangers to me, but have we met before?”

Ryan couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah. We’ve met before.” It was a very long time ago, but he remembered this Cinccino from the first time he’d visited this place.

Suddenly realising he was having a conversation with a Pokémon, Ryan cast a glance at Cheren, searching for a surprised reaction. Yet the only change in the gym leader was his eyes narrowing slightly. Perhaps Ryan should just hurry and send out his last Pokémon.

“Alright, Mariana, we’re counting on you.” He hoped this wasn’t too much pressure for her. She’d agreed beforehand that she was willing to take part in the gym battle, but nothing had been said about having to try and defeat one of the Pokémon all on her own, with the chance of victory carried on her shoulders.

This battle was only half over.


	17. Complex

To say Mariana looked determined when she caught sight of her opponent would’ve been the biggest overstatement of the century.

“I-I’m fighting against her?” the Oshawott stuttered, waddling back a few steps before she bumped into Ryan’s leg.

“Yeah. Don’t worry, Mariana, you’ll do great!”

“But she looks so strong…” Her eyes were round with fear.

“You’re strong too.” Ryan gave her an encouraging nudge forward. “We battled all those trainers together, remember? Just do your best and you’ll be fine.”

Mariana glanced up at him with uncertainty. After a moment she seemed to gather her confidence, swallowing hard and taking a deep breath before nodding and stepping forward once more. There was a nervous tremble in her tail, but other than that, she looked ready to battle.

He might as well give her the chance to attack first. “Water gun!”

A stream of water was fired at the Cinccino, pushing her back a few paces, but it didn’t seem to do much other than that. Cinnia brusquely shook the water from her fur, and her coat soon returned to its usual gleam.

“Cinnia, bullet seed!”

_She knows a grass-type move!?_

Ryan’s surprise was nothing compared to Mariana’s as a stream of pellets shot towards her, battering her fur and drawing the water out of it. The Oshawott wailed in surprise, trying to back away, but there were too many attacks for her to escape.

_She’ll get badly hurt at this rate; water’s weak to grass…!_ Ryan had to think of something. How could she get away!?

He noticed one of the seeds clatter against the scalchop attached to Mariana’s fur, ricocheting off. Ryan tried to recall the lessons from school about how Pokémon defended themselves; wasn’t an Oshawott able to remove its shell…?

“Mariana, use your scalchop!”

At a break between the shots, Mariana glanced up at him in surprise, her gaze falling to the shell on her stomach. As another set of seeds were fired towards her, the Oshawott yelped before hurriedly pulling the scalchop from her fur to shield herself from the attack.

As the seeds clattered to the ground, Cinnia was left looking a little out of breath after firing so many. She ruffled her fur, regaining her composure.

“Interesting,” Cheren mumbled to himself. “Okay then, Cinnia, use tackle.”

Mariana wouldn’t be able to shield herself from that with a tiny shell. The Cinccino still looked graceful as she charged, lunging for the Oshawott.

The water-type’s eyes widened as she tried to move back, hugging the shell tightly. One of her paws brushed against the edge and she gasped quietly, realising how sharp it was, some confidence returning to her eyes as an idea crossed her mind.

And so, as the Cinccino crashed into her, she lashed out with the scalchop.

Neither Pokémon remained on their feet after that. Mariana was thrown backwards by the tackle; Cinnia fell to the ground with a quiet yelp of pain. A moment later the normal-type pushed herself back to her paws, wincing slightly before facing the gym leader and giving a determined nod, confirming she was okay.

“Mariana…?” Ryan asked worriedly.

The Oshawott’s ears twitched upon hearing her name. She lifted her head and reached for the scalchop she’d dropped when she was hit, her paws and breathing both shaky. It didn’t look like she had much energy left to fight.

Or at least, that’s what Ryan thought. After the water-type unsteadily stood back up to return the scalchop to her fur, she stared at her paws in surprise. A moment later she squeaked and jumped backwards in shock.

Her fur was glowing.

“W-what’s… what’s happening to me!?” she wailed, stumbling back. “Ryan…!”

It took him a few seconds to respond, the sudden realisation hitting him. “It's fine, Mariana, don’t worry! You’re _evolving_!”

The Oshawott’s eyes widened even further. A moment later she had to close them again out of reflex as the light in her fur got brighter. Even in broad daylight, the brightness was too intense to look at. Cinnia had to shield her eyes with her tail.

It was a short while before the light eventually faded, leaving the water-type staring at herself in surprise.

Her fur had darkened in colour, and she was taller than before. Mariana had evolved into a Dewott.

“I… evolved…” Mariana gazed at her fur, twisting to look at her back. She lifted her tail, letting it fall back against the ground and stir up a small cloud of dust. Finally her eyes drifted to the fur at her sides, now possessing a scalchop on each hip, and curiously she plucked them from her fur.

“I’d say congratulations are in order,” Cheren stated simply, clapping his hands together, a smile on his face. “Evolving a Pokémon is a great achievement for any trainer! Although, that doesn’t mean the battle is over.”

Ryan’s look of awe changed quickly upon hearing Cheren’s words, his expression turning determined. “Right. Mariana, are you okay to keep fighting?”

The Dewott snapped out of her daze as she blinked, casting a glance at her trainer. Briefly looking over the weapons she’d gained after evolving, she gave a confident nod.

“Okay. Then do what you did just now; razor shell!”

Clutching a shell in each paw, Mariana raced towards the Cinccino. Now with legs that were more than just flippers, she was much faster than she had been before.

Still, Cheren wasn’t just going to hand him the win. “Cinnia, now, bullet seed!”

The normal-type followed her orders, firing at the Dewott with a super-effective attack. Some of the bullets were intercepted by the soaked scalchops, others grazed Mariana’s fur. Yet it didn’t slow her pace, and she still had enough momentum to deal a fierce slash with the shell weapons.

Cinnia was thrown backwards by the attack, falling to the ground, her fur stirring up a lot of dust and grit. Some settled on her coat, but she was too exhausted to do anything about it.

The silence was broken by the sound of clapping.

“Well done, Ryan,” Cheren congratulated him, stepping down from the platform to approach.  “You’ve beaten the Aspertia gym.”

“I…” _We beat the gym. Thank Arceus!_ Ryan suppressed his sigh of relief. “Thank you!”

Mariana trotted over, having realised the battle was done; although, even though she had evolved and was stronger now, it seemed not much had changed, as she still tried to hide behind Ryan at the sight of the older human. Cinnia, having recovered somewhat, padded towards them as well, flicking her ears and tail occasionally to try and dislodge some of the dirt. When she reached her trainer she settled at his side to groom herself.

“Now then, I must present you with this.” Taking something from one of his pockets, Cheren held out his hand, revealing something shiny. “This is the Basic Badge. It’s proof that you beat the gym, although I’m sure you knew that already.” After Ryan gratefully took the badge and fished through his bag for the case, the gym leader held out a disk. “Take this as well. It's TM83; Work Up. Hopefully it will be of some use to you on your travels.”

“Thank you!” Ryan slid the TM into his bag, along with the one he’d got from Ebony. He wondered how many of them he’d get on his journey; was there just one from each gym leader, or would he be able to find them somewhere else, too?

“Also, would you like me to show you the way out of the gym? Or are you okay on your own?”

“I’ll be okay, thanks.” _Hopefully_. He didn’t fancy getting lost in the school, but it wasn’t _that_ big.

“Alright. Good luck at the rest of the gyms,” Cheren smiled. “You make it to the league, okay? Make Touko proud!”

“Right!” Ryan nodded, a determined look in his eyes.

He waved goodbye, turning to re-enter the building and begin his attempt to navigate the corridors. Mariana followed after him, still looking amazed at how much faster she could walk with her new legs.

Still, a thought floated at the back of Ryan’s mind. _Cheren keeps talking about Mum, but I don’t think he mentioned Dad once since we got here. I wonder why?_

He shrugged internally. _Oh well. He was friends with Mum, after all. Maybe he just doesn’t know Dad all that well._

 

* * *

 

Fortunately, the Pokémon Centre in Aspertia was right next to the gym. Ryan healed his Pokémon after the battle and gave them a chance to rest, spending the waiting time looking at the badges in his case. Two slots filled; another six to go. They were a quarter of the way to the league already. Thinking of it that way sent a small rush of excitement through his veins, but he had a feeling the gym battles would get more difficult from here on out.

In the meantime, they could enjoy travelling the region. He was sure there was a lot more to see in Unova.

Their first stop was Bianca’s Pokémon lab. She’d suggested they visit her when they reached Aspertia, so it’d seem rude to leave without at least saying hello. And Ryan would be fine with _just_ saying hello, rather than be almost crushed by another of her hugs.

Aspertia was a rather big city, though, and with his map not showing the individual streets in each town, Ryan found it difficult to navigate the place. After ten minutes of aimless wandering he’d ended up in the south of the city, and there was no sign of anything that looked like a lab here.

Charlotte was out walking beside him, taking in the surroundings. Honestly, Ryan wasn’t sure if his Pokémon would be any help in searching for the lab, but he couldn’t imagine it was much fun to be cooped up inside a Poké ball all the time.

“Whoa, what the heck happened to that place?”

“Huh?” Ryan blinked in surprise at Charlotte’s outburst, his expression turning to confusion as the Mienfoo wandered off along the paved street. “Char, wait—!”

“Oh, _relax_ , it’s not as if I’m going to get lost. It's a dead end.” She rolled her eyes. “But this human home looks different to the others. It's weird.”

Ryan followed her gaze. Sure enough, the house they were stood in front of looked a lot more… run down, than the others in the city. While the other houses obviously had occupants, this one looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. Ivy crawled its way up the walls, the grass outside hadn’t been cut for a long time, and the mailbox was overflowing with paper.

“I wonder if anyone’s around,” Charlotte mused, walking up to the door and tapping on it with one paw.

“What are you doing!?”

“What? Ain’t this how humans summon other humans? I’ve seen them do it before and it worked.” Charlotte gave him a blank look. She knocked on the door once more, louder this time. “Oi! People, I’m trying to summon you here!”

Ryan just slapped a hand to his forehead, suppressing a sigh. “Not exactly. There probably isn’t even anyone in. The place looks empty.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Ryan nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice from behind him. Turning hurriedly, he saw a woman, mid-twenties with long blueish-black hair, looking at him quizzically. A Liepard stood at her side, its tail flicking back and forth uneasily.

“Oh, sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you,” she smiled. “I was just confused because nobody lives here, so I was wondering why I could hear voices.”

“I was talking to… the Pokémon…?” Ryan answered sheepishly as Charlotte walked back over to stand beside him. The Liepard’s ears flattened warily at the sight of the fighting-type.

“Oh, okay…” the woman looked confused at his response, but brushed it aside. “Are you a trainer? What are you doing in this part of the city?”

“Looking for the lab,” he shrugged. “Bianca said we should visit.”

“Oh! I see!” The woman nodded in understanding. “Well, sorry to tell you this, but I think Bianca went out somewhere early this morning. She wasn’t at the lab when I went to see her just now, anyway.”

“Oh…” Perhaps she’d thought they would arrive earlier. After all, it had been a day since they’d last seen her; maybe she expected everyone to move as fast as she did. At least he was going to avoid getting crushed for now.

“It's okay, I’m sure she’ll be back soon,” she smiled. “I’m just worried about what my brother’s up to. He doesn’t visit super often, but he said something was up at the Virbank Complex this morning and left. You haven’t seen him, have you? He’s, uh…” She looked thoughtful for a moment, before lifting a few strands of her hair in one hand. “Same hair colour, but more spikey. He looks a bit like a Qwilfish, really.”

From that description, Ryan was actually a little disappointed that he _hadn’t_ seen such a person. “No, sorry.”

A slightly concerned look crossed her face, but it vanished soon enough. “Ah well, I guess I shouldn’t worry too much. There hasn’t been anything particularly bad in Unova since Team Plasma disbanded.” The Liepard let out a faint growl at her words; she reached down to reassuringly pat its neck.

“Team Plasma…?” Ryan echoed.

“Huh? Oh, maybe you’re too young to know about that. Don’t mind me,” she giggled. “I’m sure he’s fine. If you’re a trainer, maybe you should check the complex out. It's a good place for training Pokémon. And if you see my brother Hugh at all, let him know I want him to come back in one piece!”

 

* * *

 

There were only a few trainers on Route 19, but Ryan fought the few that challenged him to a battle, healing his Pokémon at the centre in Floccesy Town. Route 20 was much the same.

As Ryan waited for his team to be healed in Virbank City, it crossed his mind that he had no idea where the next gym was. As far as he knew there hadn’t been one in Floccesy, but this city was bigger, and since the gyms weren’t marked on the map there could be one here. Maybe he could ask someone.

After leaving the Pokémon Centre, Ryan looked at the map as he walked, making sure he didn’t bump into anyone in the process. The ‘complex’ that woman had spoken of was just to the south of the city.

“Okay, I guess we might as well head to the complex,” he said out loud, an announcement to the Umbreon with him.

“We’re going to a complicated?” Jay tilted his head.

“No, it’s like… a bunch of buildings, or something,” Ryan shrugged. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was either. “It's a place.”

“Ohh.”

They made their way along the main street, crossing the bridge over the river that ran through the city. In the distance Ryan could see a clump of buildings lit up by the sun, in what looked like some kind of storage or construction site. He couldn’t imagine how that’d be a good place for training.

Although, it seemed they weren’t going to find out any time soon.

A man dressed in construction garb was standing at the entrance to the complex. When he saw the boy and Pokémon heading his way, he held up one hand.

“Sorry, kid, can’t let you in here. Area’s off limits.”

“What? Why?” As Ryan asked, Jay looked up at the man with his best Lillipup eyes, but the worker wasn’t even paying attention to him and it had no effect.

“Too dangerous. I’ve been asked to keep the public out for their own safety.”

“It’s alright, Chris. Problem’s sorted now.”

Ryan craned his neck to see past the worker as someone approached from inside the complex; a man with ruffled blue hair. A male Unfezant strolled after him.

“Hugh!” the worker exclaimed, a sudden change of attitude now that the situation seemed less serious. “Well done, lad! Now I can get back to work. Boss’ll have my head otherwise.”

“Right. Hopefully that thing isn’t coming back. If anything else weird happens, let me know.”

“Roger that!” Chris gave a light-hearted salute before marching off into the complex, grabbing a shovel that was lying against one of the buildings as he passed.

“What was going on? What weird things happened?” Ryan spoke up at last, echoing what he’d just heard them talking about.

“Hmm?” Hugh, having watched the man leave, looked around at the question, only just now noticing that Ryan was here. “Ah, don’t worry about it. Just leave this to the grownups, alright?” He smiled, patting Ryan’s shoulder with a gloved hand.

“But I want to know what happened!”

Hugh frowned, casting a glance back at the complex. “I suppose now that thing’s gone… alright. The complex was attacked by some kind of strange creature. I’m not even sure it was actually a Pokémon. Either way, it’s gone now, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“It wasn’t a Pokémon?” Ryan just stared wide-eyed up at the man. This explanation seemed familiar.

“It fell over the edge of the pier. When it hit the water it started sparking, and then sank. A Pokémon would have actually tried to swim.” He noticed Ryan’s concerned expression. “Eh, don’t worry about it too much. But, if you’re planning on heading into the complex to train, you’d best keep an eye out just in case. It seemed to be alone, but you never know.”

“But—okay…” What he was saying reminded Ryan of what happened at the Dreamyard. The creature there had sparked when it was attacked. Could it have been the same one? It must have recovered and travelled over here very quickly if it was…

“Alright. Be careful, okay? And make sure you look after your Pokémon.” Hugh gave a friendly smile before walking past him, the Unfezant following after.

Ryan just nodded briefly, before he remembered something. “Oh, wait! Um… is there a gym in this city?”

Pausing to answer the question, the blue-haired man turned back to look at him once more. “There was until a few years back, but Roxie left to tour with her band and shut down the gym. Have you been to the one in Aspertia?”

“Yeah.” The mention of the city reminded him of the person he’d met before they left. “I saw someone who I think was your sister. She said to tell you to come back in one piece.”

Hugh laughed, knowing this was a message that wasn’t actually supposed to be passed on word-for-word. “I must have been gone a while if Harriet’s sending kids to look for me. Alright, alright. Anyway, if you beat Cheren, the nearest gym’s in Castelia. You been there yet?”

Ryan shook his head.

“There you go then. The boat for Castelia usually leaves in about—” Hugh checked his Xtransciever “—forty minutes or so. There’s one every two hours until 8PM, so don’t worry if you miss it.”

“Okay, thanks!”

Now he knew where they needed to go. As he watched Hugh and his Pokémon leave, however, Ryan couldn’t help but wonder if there was any connection between the creature at the Dreamyard and the one here. If there wasn’t, it seemed like far too much of a coincidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's He
> 
> Apparently the Virbank Complex is stuck in a time loop, perpetually being built even 15 years later. Perhaps they're remodelling and that's why it's still the complex & a construction zone. Who knows.....


	18. Tourist Attractions

“Ryan…? Are… a-are you awake…?”

_I am now._ Ryan stirred as the quiet voice dragged him from sleep, blearily opening the one eye which wasn’t half-buried in a pillow. The scent of unfamiliar sheets reminded him of where he was; the Pokémon Centre in Castelia City.

They’d arrived late last night, taking the boat here after challenging a few wild Pokémon and some of the construction workers in the Virbank complex. It had seemed far too late to search for the gym at that point, so they’d headed to the Pokémon Centre instead.

It was still the middle of the night, he could tell. The room was dark, but the thinly curtained window had a slight glow to it from the lights in the city.

Sitting up and rubbing at his tired eyes, he didn’t need to see clearly to know who it was that had woken him up. “Mariana, what’s the matter?”

“I, um…” Hesitating for a long moment, the Dewott shuffled her paws. “I’m sorry, I woke you up, didn’t I?”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” As his vision adjusted, he could see Jay curled up on the sofa across the room, and Charlotte flopped over the arm in such a way she was in danger of falling off. “Can’t sleep, huh?” He patted the sheets.

“Not really…” Reaching up to hook her paws over the side of the mattress, the Dewott pulled herself up onto the bed. Making sure she didn’t step on or trip over him, she made her way to the window, brushing the corner of the curtain aside to look out. “This is a pretty big place, isn’t it? We’re really high up.”

Abandoning the cosiness of the duvet, Ryan crawled over to look out of the window as well, something he hadn’t done since arriving. The Pokémon Centre in Castelia was massive, probably because it was in the middle of a major city, and they were quite a few floors up. The few people walking through the streets at this time of night looked the size of Durant. “Yeah. But just look at the view…!” Looking up to the horizon, the waves of the sea glimmered in the light of the city, gradually getting darker further away from the port. The silhouette of the land in the distance was just visible against the night sky. The bright light nearby made the stars above almost invisible, but over the water they shone brightly as if to guide the way for sailors.

It seemed like a long while before Mariana spoke again. “Hey, Ryan…? Are we going to find the gym tomorrow like you said?”

“Yeah. That way the leader will actually be there when we arrive,” he smiled. “Why?”

“Oh… no, I was just wondering. The gym battles are more important than ordinary ones, aren’t they?”

“Gym leaders are stronger trainers. You get a badge if you defeat them, and if you get eight badges you can go to the Pokémon league and battle the _champion_! They’re the strongest trainer in the whole of Unova.” Despite his enthusiasm, he tried to keep his voice quiet to avoid waking the others.

“I see,” Mariana hummed, looking out the window once more. “I guess it does sound kind of exciting. Does the champion have strong Pokémon?”

“I guess so. I mean, he _is_ the champion after all. I’ve only met the former champion, Alder – well, and Mum, of course.”

“Your mother was a champion?” Mariana’s eyes gleamed with awe in the dim light.

“For a short while. She doesn’t really talk about it much. She released her Pokémon before I was born, but they still visit the forest we live near sometimes. They wouldn’t tell me much about their battling experiences, though – and Arceus knows how many times Jay tried to ask them about fighting.” He couldn’t help but laugh quietly. “I don’t know what the current champion is like, but hopefully he’s nice like Mum and Alder are. Alder told me his name, but I don’t remember what it was.”

“I wonder if we’ll meet him,” the water-type pondered. “A champion sounds like someone with strong Pokémon, though… I’m not sure I’d want to battle them just yet.”

“It's okay. We’ll be plenty ready by the time we beat all the gyms!” Ryan grinned. A yawn fought its way out of him; it was still the middle of the night, after all. “Although getting some sleep first would be nice.”

 

* * *

 

Castelia City didn’t seem any smaller in daylight. The massive skyscrapers reflected the morning sunlight, and Ryan soon learnt that it wasn’t a good idea to look up without shielding his eyes. The best part of the morning was spent wandering the city, partly to look for the gym and partly just to explore the place. In an area as big as this, there was a lot to see. At first, his Pokémon had been walking with him, but after a few near-incidents of them being stepped on or tripped over – and Jay almost raiding the Casteliacone stand – he’d returned them to their Poké balls.

A few hours of more or less walking in circles had eventually led him back to the entrance they arrived through a few days ago, after travelling across Skyarrow Bridge. Thankfully there was a signboard with a map of the city here, and he spent a few moments trying to memorise the way to the gym. It was on the far side of the city, but it wasn’t too far from the ports, so at least it’d be easy to find his way back here if he got lost again.

Although, it seemed his efforts might have been wasted anyway.

“What do you mean it’s _closed_!?”

“Ah, sorry kid,” the gym guide said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he leant against the doorframe. “But I hope you understand we can’t open the gym while the leader isn’t here. It’d kind of defeat the purpose, you know?”

“So where is he?” Ryan asked simply.

“Artist’s block. He’s probably gone off to look for inspiration, or headed over to Nacrene again to visit some of the street artists there. Sorry about that, this happens rather a lot… but he should be back to work in a few days.”

“A few _days_!?”

His outburst made the gym guide chuckle. “I guess it must seem like a long time for an impatient budding young trainer like you. If you can’t stand to wait around here, you could always head over to Nimbasa City. There are a lot of places there to train your Pokémon, and a lot of nearby routes to catch them too! Not to mention there are a bunch of tourist attractions. Besides, it seems like a nice day today; the weather on Route 4 probably isn’t too bad this morning. Sound interesting?”

“I… guess so.” Ryan wanted to challenge the gym, but perhaps waiting a while longer wouldn’t hurt. Besides, they’d only just battled Cheren yesterday, and the gym leader here was likely to have Pokémon who were even stronger.

“Alright. I’ll be sure to let Burgh know you came by so he doesn’t vanish again as soon as he gets back!” The gym guide gave a thumbs-up before vanishing back into the building.

_That was annoying._ At least he knew where he could go in the meantime. The real problem was going to be trying to find where the route was that led to the next city.

 

* * *

 

With the knowledge of which general direction to head in, it didn’t take too long to find the entrance to Route 4. Emerging out into the desert bestowed him with quite a sight; the path ahead was lined with ancient-looking houses which looked as if they had been uncovered from the ground. Parts of the rock walls were dusted with sand as if the material had been submerged for many years; other parts were cleaner, showing which sections had been fixed up since. The people who lived on the route seemed accustomed to the living conditions, many of them sporting goggles or scarves to protect them from the sand which shifted around with each passing breeze. If this was what the gym guide had described as ‘good weather’, Ryan couldn’t imagine what the area must be like when the weather was bad. At least the locals seemed friendly enough; some offered friendly waves as he passed through, others asked whether he was a trainer and challenged him to a battle when he confirmed their guess.

Once they reached Nimbasa, Ryan headed straight for the Pokémon Centre to let his team rest. He had faint memories of this city from when he’d visited Unova with his parents many years ago, the main focus being on the Ferris wheel. He could remember going to the amusement park, which had seemed a lot quieter than it was on TV, and riding on the Ferris wheel with his parents. N had started, as his mother had said, ‘rambling on’ about something, but Ryan had been too young to really understand any of the complicated words he’d been using. Knowing his father, it probably had something to do with maths. Even so, he wanted to check out the amusement park, visit it again after all these years even if he was alone this time; Pokémon probably wouldn’t be allowed on the Ferris wheel. He couldn’t see it from the windows of the Pokémon Centre, but no matter. He knew where the park was.

“Where are we going now?” Jay asked excitedly once they left the building. “Is there food there?”

“Not Pokémon food. We’ll have lunch after, alright?”

“But what if I starve?”

“You won’t starve in one hour. We’re going somewhere interesting!”

The Umbreon looked thoughtful for a moment, curiosity finally getting the better of him. “Hmm… okay!”

Thankfully, Nimbasa wasn’t as crowded as Castelia had been.  The previous city had been the workplace as well as home to many people and wherever he went there had been traffic or crowds. Here, it was almost silent. Considering this city contained a lot of tourist attractions, it seemed kind of odd.

As they approached the amusement park, he was beginning to see why.  On the opposite side of the river, large plastic walls had been put up, blocking out any view of what was beyond. The only way to see inside was through the bars of the closed gate on the other side of the bridge.

“They closed the place down…?” Ryan said aloud, glad there was nobody around to confirm his thoughts for him. Wanting to check it out for himself, he followed the pavement along the side of the water, running across the bridge to the padlocked gate.

Sure enough, what had been a colourful display the last time he visited was now a mass of rubble. A few old buildings were still standing, including what had probably once been the gym, but they looked as if they hadn’t been used in a long time, with the windows and doors boarded up. Maybe that was why there was next to nobody in this part of the city; the area looked more like a wasteland than a tourist attraction.

“Is this where we were going?” Jay spoke up at last, sniffing at the bars.

“It _was_ …” Ryan let out a disappointed sigh. This was one of the main reasons he’d been looking forward to coming to Nimbasa.

Jay stepped forward to try and squeeze through the bars like he used to do when sneaking into the school grounds, but after evolving he’d become much too big for that. “The gaps aren’t big enough!” he whined, just about managing to pull his head free of the bars. “How are people supposed to get in there?”

“They aren’t. They’ve closed the gate to stop people getting in.”

“But I can smell food!”

“There’s a lot of food in the city, you’re probably just catching the smell of something else.”

“No, no, it’s nearby! It's in there!” Jay insisted, sticking his nose between the bars once more to sniff.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Jay, I think there’s something wrong with your nose.”

“But I _can_ smell food in there! Honest!”

“There’s no way there could be anything in there, though. The gate’s locked…” His voice trailed off as his gaze rested on the padlock once more. It had definitely seemed locked from a distance, but upon closer inspection the metal hook was just outside of the lock. That was odd. Had the people who locked the gate simply forgotten to check it was done up properly?

Wondering if he was just imagining things now, he took the lock in hand and twisted the metal. Sure enough, it opened, the chain slipping off with an echoed _clang_ as it fell back against the bars of the gate.

“I guess it wasn’t locked after all,” he muttered.

“Yay! Let’s go find the food!” Jay cheered.

“Jay, wait. I don’t think this is such a good idea.” This place was clearly _supposed_ to be locked, whether it actually was or not. If they got caught in there, they could get arrested for trespassing…

“But there’s _food_!”

“I’m not a Pokémon. That’s not exactly a compelling argument for me.”

The dark-type just huffed, throwing the trainer a sulky look. He took a few steps forward and nudged one side of the gate with his head, causing it to move slightly. “It opened…!”

“That doesn’t mean we have to go in there.”

Ignoring him, Jay pushed the gate further before slipping through the gap. “See? That was easy!”

“Jay, seriously, get back here.”

“But there’s food!” Blatantly ignoring Ryan’s orders, he padded off through the clearing, hopping over a fallen sign. He paused, tail waving happily. “I found the food! It’s here!”

“Don’t you dare eat anything if you don’t know what it is!” Ryan could tell his warnings were useless; Jay was too intent on looking for whatever he’d smelled in there to listen to him. He cast a glance around at the street behind him. The nearest people were probably too far away to notice anything, so he could sneak into the site unnoticed. And besides, if anyone asked, he could say he’d been trying to catch his runaway Pokémon. That’d seem like a good enough excuse. And, well, it was _technically_ true.

Pushing the gate further open and wincing as the metal threatened to shriek, he tried to only make as large a gap as needed and slid through into the site. Keeping an eye on his surroundings, he made sure to try and take the same path Jay had, just in case there was anything dangerous on the ground. After what happened at the Dreamyard, he was a little wary of abandoned areas like this…

By the time he caught up to the Umbreon, Jay seemed to be eating something. _For the love of Arceus, don’t let it be anything poisonous…_

“See? I told you there was food!” Jay stated simply, mouth full as he glanced up.

“Jay, you can’t just—” He broke off as he realised what Jay had.

“It's just like the stuff they give you at that place! The Pokémon middle… centre… thing!” the Umbreon grinned.

“That’s… Pokémon food?” Ryan was more than a little confused. How did a bowl of Pokémon food get in the middle of a run-down amusement park?

“Mmhmm!”

The confirmation doing nothing to let up his confusion, Ryan glanced around at the park once more. At the far end, the place seemed like even more of a mess, and it took him a moment to realise why. That was where the shattered remains of the Ferris wheel lay sprawled across the ground.

Making his way along the path and being sure not to step on anything unstable or sharp, Ryan scanned the rubble, every now and then noticing something that looked familiar. A few of the carriages which had probably been closer to the bottom of the wheel when it was knocked down seemed almost undamaged other than a few cracks in the glass; others lay scattered in pieces across the ground. It was a disheartening scene, knowing that only a few years ago the wheel would have stood tall, a massive arc in the cityscape, providing an amazing view to all its passengers.

“What’s that?” Jay asked, appearing next to him, having eaten the entire bowl by now.

“It used to be the Ferris wheel,” Ryan mumbled. “That’s where I said we were going. They’ve knocked it down since I was last here, though.”

“Oh. What did it look like before?”

“Well…” He was about to explain, trying to think of some way of describing it that the Pokémon would be able to understand. After all, there was nothing like it in the town back home, and certainly not in the forest. But as he paused to think, he noticed a sound coming from somewhere nearby. At first he thought it might be a motorbike in the city, but then he realised it was something else.

Growling.

Instinctively he took a step back. He’d come across plenty of angered Pokémon in the forest before, and usually it was best to stay away from them until they’d calmed down or at least accepted his presence, but he had no idea where the sound was coming from. What if it was another of those strange creatures like the ones that had been at the Dreamyard or Virbank’s complex?

Metal crunched as something stepped out from one of the fallen carriages, claws scraping the rubble as it stalked towards them, fangs bared in a growl and tusks glinting in the light of the sun.

_That’s a Fraxure…!_

The dragon-type’s eyes scanned the area briefly before coming to rest on the trainer and Pokémon. Eyes narrowed menacingly and it gave a vicious snarl.

“ _Get out of here!_ ”


	19. Wheel's Axle

“Liam, are you _sure_ we’re allowed to do this?”

“Oh, _relax_! All we have to do is catch a Pokémon. You worry too much, Simon.”

“Right…” the smaller boy muttered, voice thick with unease as he reluctantly followed Liam through the forest. Usually he wasn’t allowed out here, a place where wild Pokémon roamed freely. It was said to be dangerous if you didn’t have a Pokémon of your own to defend you – which neither of them did.

“And hey, when we catch some, we’ll be able to go on a journey! Forget having to wait for a professor to send some Pokémon all the way out here; we can just catch our own, like Ryan did!” Liam scoffed, pulling a silly face at his own mention of the older boy. “If _he_ could do it, so can we!”

Simon decided to just keep his mouth shut and not point out the fact that, well, _they_ couldn’t communicate with the creatures – and he couldn’t remember seeing Ryan ever use a Poké ball for that Eevee, either…

“Oh! I think I hear something!”

“ _Shh_!” Simon hissed. They were pretty deep into the forest by now; if they startled anything in here and it attacked them, they’d be pretty much helpless. How far was it possible for a scream to echo? Would they be turned into Pokémon food!?

The bushes up ahead rustled as a large creature stepped out. It didn’t seem to have noticed them yet, just passing through the area, black ears twitching as if it were looking for something.

Apparently Liam had taken this as a sign to try and set their plan into action. Taking on a shot-put style pose, he launched an empty Poké ball towards the creature. “Poké ball, go!”

The fox glanced around in surprise at the voice, not getting much of a chance to react before the orb smacked him in the side of the head and he was dragged inside with a flash of red light.

“Yeah, I caught it!” Liam cheered.

_Not yet_. A Poké ball had to shake three times before the Pokémon was caught. The orb lying on the forest floor didn’t even move before it broke open, presenting them with a very angry-looking Zoroark. The fox gave a low growl, taking a warning step towards them.

“Uh, Liam…?” Simon squeaked, stepping back and trying to hide behind him. They might have been friends, but he was more than willing to use Liam as a meat shield if the Pokémon attacked.

Liam tried to fake confidence as he too backed away from the danger. “Ah, um, maybe I should have brought more Poké balls…”

A speck of light appeared in front of the creature, quickly growing larger until it turned into an orb of energy. With a furious yowl, Zoroark sent it shooting right towards them.

“Evasive action!” Liam cried as both boys took overdramatic dives to avoid the focus blast sent their way. When Simon landed he simply curled up, terrified, knowing full well that he would have to accept his fate of being mauled by an angry fox—

“What are you two doing here?”

“Liam, it’s talking to us! Are we dead?” he wailed.

“… Simon, that’s not the Zoroark.”

Slowly turning his head, Simon gazed wide-eyed up at the person towering over them. He wasn’t quite sure how to respond, torn between thanking him for coming to their rescue and apologising for going this far out into the forest when they were defenceless. Instead, he just gave a small stupefied wave. “Um… hello?”

The green-haired man just gave them a questioning look. “What’s going on?”

With a disgruntled huff, the fox swatted the broken Poké ball with one paw, causing it to sail through the air and roll to a halt on the grass nearby. Not really knowing how to respond and wondering why this man seemed somewhat familiar, Liam just gave a guilty laugh. “Um… looking for Pokémon…?”

Upon catching sight of the orb, the man’s eyes narrowed. “You came out here into the forest to try and _catch_ the Pokémon here? How dare you!”

“U-um, we’re very sorry, sir…” Simon stuttered, scrambling to his feet and backing away.

“Yes, we, ah…” Liam froze for a moment, mouth hanging open as if he planned on continuing his sentence before snapping his gaze to Simon instead. “Run for it!”

With those words said, the two boys took off at a sprint through the forest, soon vanishing from sight among the trees.

N scowled as he picked up the broken capsule. He might as well take this back to the house to throw away so that no Pokémon would end up getting hurt by it. “People still concern me sometimes…”

Zoroark just let out a nonchalant grunt. “I could have chased them off.”

“I know, I know,” N sighed, walking over to gently pet the fox’s ears; it wasn’t quite enough to make Zoroark completely lose the grumpy attitude, but at the very least he nudged the man’s hand with his forehead. “But you remember what happened last time you tried to attack a person who wasn’t a trainer.”

The fox’s eyes widened slightly. “Natural, you promised never to mention the cages again.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.”

 

* * *

 

Ryan froze, standing completely still, praying to Arceus that Jay would do the same. Pokémon could be dangerous, especially when angered, and with the creature watching them that intensely, any sudden movements might cause it to attack. He didn’t know how powerful this dragon was; if he sent any of his Pokémon out to fight against it, they could potentially gain serious injuries.

The dragon’s growls echoed around the empty area, an unspoken threat. It took another step forwards.

It staggered slightly as it did. The growling faltered, stopping completely as the Fraxure collapsed to the ground with a quiet _thud_.

_Huh…?_ Ryan stayed put for a brief moment, wondering what he should do. The dragon seemed aggressive, but at the same time… it didn’t look like it was in any shape to fight them.

“Hey… are you okay?” he asked hesitantly.  When the creature didn’t reply to him, he carefully made his way through the rubble, making sure not to trip over anything by accident.

On closer inspection, he could now see that the Fraxure was injured. A nasty-looking injury spanned the dragon’s right side, old enough to have stopped bleeding but possibly infected. The scales around the wounded area were black and sooty, as if whatever had created the wound had burned it too.

“What happened to you…?”

“Leave me alone,” the Fraxure snarled, lashing out as the boy came too close and forcing him to take a step back to avoid getting clawed.

“I’m just trying to help.” Ryan could hear now that the creature’s breath was slightly uneven; that injury was definitely hurting it, and if its current state was anything to go by, it was draining its energy too.

The dragon threw him a glare through narrowed eyes as it tried to stand back up. “Why?”

“Because you’re hurt.” Noting that Jay was hanging back in the presence of the dragon, Ryan looked through his bag for the berry pouch. _Which one helps with burns? Rawst berries. I think there’s some in here…_

Eventually finding a few of them, Ryan carefully rolled the light blue berries towards the Fraxure. After how it had just reacted to him, it was a bad idea to try and get near the Pokémon in case it decided to swipe at him again.

As the berries landed in front of its face, the dragon tried to move back, but upon realising doing so was difficult it gave the berries a curious sniff instead. “Rawst berries…?”

“They help heal a burn,” Ryan explained.

“I know that. How do I know you haven’t done something to them?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re one of _them_. The ones who took him away!”

“What? Took who away?”

The dragon just gave a snort. “Why should I trust you? You can understand what I’m saying. It’s some kind of human trick…”

“No, it’s not a trick.” Ryan suppressed a quiet sigh. “I’ve been able to understand Pokémon for as long as I can remember. Dad can understand them too.”

Remaining silent for a long moment after the boy finished speaking, the Fraxure glanced down at the berries once more. After giving them another wary sniff, he finally took one of them to eat.

Ryan waited for him to finish before speaking again. “Do you have a name?”

The dragon hesitated briefly, but seemed to decide there was no problem with the boy knowing. “Axle,” he muttered, sitting up as the burn-healing power of the berries began to take effect.

There was a clang of metal as the Umbreon hopped over to join them, crossing some of the rubble which had fallen onto one of the poles from the wheel like a seesaw. “Hi Axle! I’m Jay!” He seemed to have decided to introduce himself now that the dragon-type wasn’t acting so aggressively.

Axle just watched him through narrowed eyes. “Why are you with a human?”

“Ryan’s my friend!” Jay cheered, tail waving happily.

The dragon didn’t reply to that, only letting out a quiet snort.

“Anyway,” Ryan continued, “Axle, you mentioned someone being taken? What happened?”

“A _human_ happened, that’s what,” Axle huffed, although his eyes betrayed his concern. “One of them found Denny while he was alone and captured him in one of those things you people have – Poké balls, that’s what they’re called. When I tried to stop them from getting away, they made one of their Pokémon attack me.”

Ryan remained silent as he listened. Maybe this was one of the reasons his father didn’t like trainers; they caught Pokémon without any consideration for what the creature wanted. “I see… I guess I can understand why you don’t like humans. I wouldn’t be able to force a Pokémon to go with me if they didn’t want to; that’s not fair.”

“Then perhaps you’re one that’s actually decent,” Axle muttered.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Ryan smiled. “What does Denny look like? What kind of Pokémon is he?”

With a questioning glance as to why he was asking, the Fraxure gave a somewhat hopeless shrug. “He’s an Axew. Not related to me, though. He twisted his tusk falling down a cliff and it’s remained that way since. I had to look after him; he couldn’t defend himself with that injury.”

“So, an Axew with a broken tusk?”

“Twisted. If it had broken off a new one would have grown back in its place,” Axle replied gruffly. “What’s it to you, anyway?”

“We can help you find him! We’ll probably meet a lot of people on our journey; we might run into the person who took Denny.”

“Thanks for the offer, but that’ll be like looking for a Joltik in a wheat field.”

“It's more likely to work than if we just leave you here with that injury,” Ryan insisted with a frown. “You don’t have to come with us, but I’ll at least make sure you’re healed enough before we go.”

The Fraxure gave a small huff. “Adamant brat. I’ll think about it.”

Ryan couldn’t help but smile. Axle may not have completely opened up to them, but at least he wasn’t being hostile now. “That’s great!”

Perhaps he should have been alerted by Jay letting out a quiet sound of surprise, moving closer to his trainer. What warned Ryan that there was anyone else in the ruined amusement park was the small gasp, causing him to hurriedly look over his shoulder. Axle let out a low growl and backed away from the newcomer.

The stranger looked horrified to see them. “What are you doing here? This place is closed!”

 

* * *

 

“ _Ow_! Grace, of all the things you could get tangled in your antlers, did it have to be something covered in thorns?” Touko sighed heavily, drawing her hand back to examine the scratch on her thumb. The Sawsbuck lifted her head to look up at her ex-trainer, letting out an apologetic coo. “No, no, it’s okay. You need to look after your antlers better, though. I swear every time you come back to see me you’ve got something caught in them.”

The deer rested her head back on Touko’s lap once more. Grace seemed to enjoy the attention, at least. Sometimes Touko wondered if the grass-type rolled in the undergrowth on purpose just so she’d have to sit with her to get the twigs and vines out of her leaves.

It had been many years since Touko released her Pokémon; it was before she’d been expecting a child, she could remember that much. Letting any of them in the house had proven to be a bad idea, hence her rule against it, but it hadn’t seemed fair to keep them in their Poké balls all the time, especially when she hardly ever battled other trainers out here. More than once she’d found the capsules missing because N had taken her team out to get some fresh air, and eventually she’d decided that the best thing to do would be to let them go free. Every now and then they came back to see her, sometimes in small groups, but other than that they were all travelling on their own.

“There we go!” she smiled eventually as she managed to untangle the final vine from the deer’s autumn-coloured leaves. “How long will it be until you get something else tangled in there, huh?” As the Sawsbuck let out an arrogant snort, she couldn’t help but laugh quietly, running a hand over Grace’s course fur. “Silly deer.”

A quick glance up showed a familiar shade of green emerging from the forest. Lifting one arm in a wave, Touko called out to him. “Hey, N! Look who came to visit!”

Blinking in surprise as if he’d only just noticed they were there, N smiled at the sight of the grass-type. “Ah, nice to see you again, Grace. I trust you’ve been well?” he asked quietly once he was within earshot.

Grace only offered a glance and a quiet mumble.

“Same attitude as usual, I see,” N chuckled.

“Come join us!” Touko patted the grass next to her where she was sat against the wall. The deer lay next to her, legs folded neatly beneath her autumn-coloured body.

“In a moment,” he muttered, soon vanishing inside of the house. Touko couldn’t help but notice he had something in his hand; red and white, spherical, maybe slightly cracked but she couldn’t really tell before it was out of sight. When N returned, whatever it was had gone, and he settled himself down in the gap between the Sawsbuck and the wall, running one hand over the deer’s back. Grace may not have been the politest creature towards N, but she was never against being petted.

“Was that a Poké ball?” Touko asked eventually.

N let out a small sigh. “Yes, it was. Some kids out in the forest were trying to catch Zoroark. They failed, thank Arceus. I just wanted to get rid of that ball before some Pokémon ended up getting hurt by it.”

“Ah, I see,” she murmured. Leaning against him, she rested her head on his shoulder, looking up with a half-hearted smile. “Well, kids will be kids, I suppose. I bet you made sure they learned their lesson, huh?”

At the comment, N gave a quiet laugh. “I’ll let Zoroark take credit for that one. Hopefully they won’t be back anytime soon.”


	20. Familiar

There was a long moment of stunned silence. It didn’t take long for Ryan to figure out that he was probably going to be in major trouble for trespassing in a place like this. “Erm…. I was… looking for… my Pokémon?” he said weakly, knowing that excuse probably wasn’t going to work. He’d been in trouble at school plenty of times, but this seemed a lot more serious…

On the other hand, the stranger – who still appeared baffled – didn’t exactly look like someone who should be wandering around an abandoned amusement part either. A woman, maybe somewhere in her late thirties, with her blonde hair tied back in a plait, wearing a generally casual outfit with a skirt and cardigan – the only thing that showed she might have planned to enter this place was the sturdy boots she was wearing, which didn’t match the rest of her attire.

“I see…” she murmured eventually, not sounding like she believed him but seeming distracted. “Well, you shouldn’t be here, it’s dangerous. That Fraxure doesn’t have a trainer.”

“I know.”

“You do?” There was a hint of surprise in her voice, but her expression didn’t change. “Did you try to catch it?”

“No, of course not!” Ryan snapped, sounding harsher than he had meant to in his defence. “He’s hurt and looking for his friend! I just wanted to help…”

The woman simply watched him for a moment, her face impossible to read – as was her voice when she spoke again. “He… told you that, did he?”

Ryan could feel his fists curling in irritation. He was never going to be able to explain this without it sounding incredibly farfetched. “I know it probably sounds like I’m making things up, but… I can understand Pokémon. As far as I know I either inherited or learned because of my dad, but what’s really important here is that this Pokémon is hurt! It’s pretty serious and I don’t know if oran or even sitrus berries would heal it quickly, but…” This wasn’t getting him anywhere. All he could do was look up at the stranger with a determined gaze and hope they wouldn’t send him away when an injured creature needed help. “I’m going to help him. I don’t care if this place is off limits; Pokémon are friends, and you don’t just abandon a friend because they’re injured!”

His words were met with another silence. The older woman had been watching him all throughout his speech – what exactly she was looking for he didn’t know. Eventually, however, a small smile appeared on her face. “I see… I thought something about you looked familiar. You really are his son, aren’t you?”

“Huh…?” his look of determination faded to confusion.

“Your father… is his name N?”

“Y-yes, but…” Ryan was getting more confused by the second. “How did you…?”

“The look in your eyes, and what you just said. All Pokémon were friends, he’d never let one suffer even if he didn’t know whether he could do much to help… that sounds like my little brother,” she smiled.

“Brother? You mean, he—dad has… a sister…?” _I have an aunt!?_

She seemed to notice his confusion – it was pretty obvious. “I guess he doesn’t talk about us much. I wouldn’t say I blame him…” she sighed. “Sorry, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Concordia. I have a sister too; her name is Anthea. N is our younger brother, but neither of us have seen him in a long time. It must have been at least ten years… how is he now?”

“Um… he’s good, yeah.” Things were gradually starting to make more sense, even if Ryan was still rather baffled. Jay kept looking between the two humans, obviously not having a clue what was going on. Axle had retreated back into the fallen Ferris wheel car.

Concordia gave a friendly smile. “That’s good to hear. If you don’t mind me asking, who is your mother…?”

“Her name is Touko.”

“I guess that’s not much of a surprise,” she chuckled quietly. “Anyway, you don’t need to look so frightened. I know I said this place is off limits, but you clearly mean well – as long as you don’t get careless. There are a lot of sharp objects around here that you could hurt yourself on. To be honest, Anthea and I found this Fraxure here a few days ago. We’ve been leaving food for it, but we hadn’t been able to get near enough to heal that injury.” Quickly rummaging through the small bag she had over one shoulder, she pulled out something that looked vaguely like a bottle. “Maybe it’ll let you use this. It's a full restore; it should help heal up that wound if you can spray it on.”

Taking the object handed to him, Ryan spent a moment checking it over and scanning the label before he looked up at her with a grin. “Thank you!”

“The pleasure’s all mine. It’s nice to meet you, and to know my brother is happy at last.” There was some kind of emotion in her eyes, but she hid it well, and he couldn’t tell what it was. “Anyway, if you’re ever in Driftveil City, feel free to stop by. We stay in the building at the north of the city, looking after Pokémon who have lost their trainers. Some of the Pokémon that were taken by Team Plasma are still there now, even if it has been such a long time—ah well. Maybe we’ll meet again soon!” She gave a friendly wave as she turned to walk away.

_Team Plasma?_ He’d heard the phrase mentioned recently, and still didn’t have any idea what it was. Yet Concordia was probably busy and needed to return to Driftveil, so maybe now wasn’t really the time to ask. “Okay,” Ryan nodded, returning the wave. “Bye, and thanks again!”

As they watched her leave, Jay glanced up at Ryan, looking confused. “What’s a Team Plasma?”

Ryan just shrugged. “Don’t know. It sounds like whatever it was happened a while back.” No time to dwell on whatever might have happened in the past; the difficult part was going to be trying to get Axle to let him use the full restore.

 

* * *

 

It actually didn’t take too much persuading. Maybe Axle was starting to warm up to him after all. After leaving the dragon to rest and promising to come back and check on him the next day – and bring some food as well, which made Jay very happy – Ryan headed over to the Pokémon Centre for the night. If Burgh wasn’t going to be back at the gym for a few days, and Ryan was going to make sure Axle’s wound healed properly, they’d probably be staying in Nimbasa for a while. It’d be nice to rest for a few days, too, after travelling so much lately.

Not only that, but after the encounter earlier that day, there was something he needed to do.

Leaving the Poké balls on the bedside table in the room they were staying in tonight, Ryan sat on the bed and flicked through the few contacts on his Xtransceiver, easily finding the one he was looking for. As he waited through the dull ringing sound, he glanced out of the window at the city; the buildings in Nimbasa didn’t look as crowded together as the ones in Castelia had been, but there were certainly a lot of people here. It was strange to think that on the far side of the city it was near silent.

The ringing clicked off as the call was answered. “Hi, sweetie! How are you?”

“Hi Mum, I’m fine…” Maybe he should have actually tried to work out how to ask this before he called. He wasn’t even sure whether his mother was the best person to ask in the first place, and he found himself remaining silent as he waited for the words to come to him – which was rather obvious in a phone call.

“Ryan, is everything okay?” Touko’s voice was edged with concern. Usually she was the one calling him in the evenings to see how he was doing. As much as her protectiveness bothered him sometimes, when he was away from his parents it definitely helped him feel less homesick.

“Huh? Yeah, everything’s fine. Erm, can I talk to Dad…?”

“I think he’s still out in the forest. Some kids were out there trying to catch Pokémon earlier; he’s probably worried they might come back.” She let out a small sigh. “I can go and find him and have him call you back if it’s important.”

“No, no, it’s fine… it’s not that important,” Ryan muttered. “Bye…”

Without giving her much of a chance to respond, he hit the end call button.

With a long sigh, he sat back against the wall, turning to look out of the window once more. He felt conflicted; he’d never really known of any family other than his parents and his grandmother, so for all he knew that woman could have been making things up – but Concordia had _recognised_ him, she’d known the name of his father, so wasn’t that proof enough? Perhaps he’d just never asked about family before. After being told they didn’t talk about his grandfather on his mother’s side, he’d been put off learning about his family history when he was younger.

Maybe this was just another case like that. But Concordia hadn’t seemed to have anything against him; she just seemed like someone who hadn’t seen a family member in years, much like his grandmother.

Deciding there was no point dwelling on something like that – there was probably some kind of explanation – he let his mind wander to other recent occurrences instead. He’d promised to help Axle find his friend Denny, although he wasn’t sure how easy that would be. It sounded like he’d been caught by a trainer, and they _did_ seem to be meeting a lot of them in Unova, so perhaps they would run into the one who’d captured the Axew. But how were they even going to find Axle again afterwards? And what were they supposed to do if they _did_ find Denny? They couldn’t exactly take a trainer’s Pokémon away from them.

Lost in his train of thought, the sudden sound of his Xtransceiver going off surprised him so much he ended up hitting the back of his head against the wall. Wincing slightly as he rubbed his scalp, he hit the answer button a moment later. “Mum, I told you it wasn’t important--!”

“Apparently I don’t call you often enough. Every time I do, you think I’m your mother!” the familiar voice laughed on the other end of the line.

“Dad…?” The realisation had him silent for a moment.

“Touko called me over saying you wanted to speak to me about something,” N explained simply.

“But I told her it didn’t matter…”

“She’s just worried about you, Ryan. She said it sounded like something was bothering you. So, what’s up?”

Hearing the concern in his father’s voice made him feel slightly guilty; it wasn’t really that much of a deal, but he might as well ask now or Touko was only going to get even more worried. “Well… Dad, do you have any sisters?”

There was a short pause on the other end of the line. “They’re not blood-related, but… yeah. I do. Why?”

Perhaps that was why he’d never spoken about them before. “I met a lady today who said her name was… Cordia, or something like that.”

“Concordia? You saw her? Does that mean she and Anthea are okay?”

“Yeah! She told me they live in Driftveil City and look after Pokémon from Team Plasma or something, because they lost their trainers.”

Once he finished speaking, there was nothing but silence. Ryan waited for a short while, but when it persisted he wondered whether he’d lost the connection. “Hello? Dad?”

“Ah—yeah, that’s great! Th-that they’re okay and helping Pokémon.” His voice sounded a little different somehow, but Ryan didn’t get a chance to work out why before he spoke again. “Anyway, it’s getting late. You’ll probably be wanting to sleep soon so, erm, bye…”

“Bye?” Ryan replied, somewhat confused as the call ended, switching the screen on his Xtransceiver back to showing the time. “But it's only half six…”

 

* * *

 

Touko hadn’t been able to catch much of the conversation over the sound of boiling water, busying herself by preparing dinner, yet she had heard the sudden change in N’s voice. Becoming slightly concerned once more, she set the lid on the pot in a way that its contents wouldn’t boil over, and made her way back to the living room.

The phone was back on the charger, N now sat on the sofa having finished the call. He ran one hand through his scruffy hair, letting out a shaky sigh – there was definitely something wrong.

“N? What’s the matter?” she asked, taking a seat next to him. “Is Ryan okay?”

“Y-yeah, he’s fine…” N muttered, his haunted gaze not moving from the rug in front of him.

Well, at least that was one less thing to worry about. Still, it didn’t really explain much. N did have his moments sometimes, and she’d learnt by now that to find the problem she might have to quiz him before even he could work out what it was. “So, what did he say?”

“He met Concordia.” His words were blunt, as if it wasn’t the real source of what concerned him.

“Your sister?” Touko tilted her head slightly, partly in confusion and partly in hopes of getting him to look at her. “What’s wrong with that? I thought your sisters were nice…”

“They were—are… but I think she must have told him something about Team Plasma. He said the name. I-I don’t think he knows anything about my involvement, though…”

“If he doesn’t know, there’s nothing to worry about, is there?”

“Yes there is! The fact that he’s even heard of the group means that people still haven’t forgotten!” His gaze snapped to her at last, an immeasurable amount of worry in his eyes.

“N, of course Concordia is going to remember; she was just as involved as you were. It doesn’t sound like she explained much to Ryan if he only mentioned it to you, and I doubt she’d just tell him everything that happened when it’s got nothing to do with him.” She reached for his hand in an effort to try and calm him down, noting how his fingers were gripping tightly to the material of the sofa. “Try not to worry about it too much, okay? Even if there are a handful of people that remember, it shouldn’t affect Ryan. Unova’s a big region, and it’s been, what, seventeen years by now? It can’t be too big of a deal after all this time.”

N just stared blankly at her hand for a moment before finally things started to click. Lacing his fingers with hers, he took a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh as she’d taught him a long while ago. “I hope you’re right.”


	21. Collaboration

“Too slow!”

“Not everyone is short enough to hop around like a Kricketot.”

“Hey!”

The normally-silent abandoned park was filled with the sounds of Pokémon, which hopefully wasn’t loud enough to draw any attention from outside. It had been three days since they arrived in Nimbasa, and Axle seemed to get better every day. Ryan would have to thank Concordia for giving him that full restore if they saw her again; he’d tried to get some from the Pokémon Centre mart in case they came across any other injured Pokémon on their travels, but the clerks had told him he didn’t have enough gym badges to buy them yet. He’d managed to get some potions at least, so if any of his Pokémon picked up any injuries from battling he’d be able to heal them.

Most of Ryan’s time in the city had been spent at the old park; from the looks of things, Axle enjoyed the company, even if he pretended otherwise. They’d told him about their journey so far, about the battles and gyms and people they’d met; the dragon told stories of battles he’d fought in the past, the type of stories that most wild Pokémon told, but they never failed to interest Ryan.

It might have been to test that his strength had returned, but Axle seemed willing enough to play-fight with Charlotte; the Mienfoo was using the rubble to her advantage, jumping around the fallen metal to where she was out of the dragon’s reach. Jay watched nearby with gleaming eyes while Mariana scanned the park nervously, as if she expected something to jump out of the mess and attack them.

“You’re just jealous you don’t have my agility,” Char scoffed, flicking her tail.

“If I tried to climb up there the whole thing would probably collapse.”

“Details, details!”

Axle simply rolled his eyes. “You can’t win if you just hide away out of reach.”

That was enough for Charlotte’s pride to be slightly hurt, if nothing else. “Alright, since you asked for it!” She leapt from the metal, aiming to land on Axle but the dragon had long seen the attack coming and moved out of the way.

Nobody expected the ground to explode when her paw hit the earth. A few small pieces of metal were launched into the air and a cloud of dust quickly gathered.

“Whoa—!” Ryan was left looking slightly dumbfounded; concerned as well. “Charlotte…?”

A few coughs were heard from somewhere within the settling dust. “I’m okay! I think…” She coughed again as she padded out into the fresh air, trying to waft the dust away. “The heck was that?”

“Looked like force palm to me,” Axle mumbled with a flick of his tail. “The idea is you’re actually supposed to hit your opponent with it.”

“That was _awesome_!” Jay cheered. “Do it again!”

“Did you hear that? Was that an explosion!?”

“Uh oh,” Ryan muttered, hearing the distant voices. He couldn’t see anybody yet, but if they stayed out here in the open they were going to get caught. “Quick, hide!”

He made a beeline for the nearest fallen Ferris wheel car, his Pokémon soon getting the idea and racing on ahead to hop through the door. It was on its side amongst some metal, but at least only half of it was made of see-through glass.

“Why hide? We can just fight them off,” Axle pointed out.

“No! We can’t let them know there’s anyone here,” Ryan insisted, making a frantic arm motion to try and get him to follow. “It’ll be safer if they just think the place is empty. For us _and_ you.”

The dragon was silent, and for a moment Ryan was worried he might protest. After a quick glance in the direction of the gate, hearing the sound of heavy footsteps getting louder, Axle nodded.

“Okay, good.” Hoping Axle wouldn’t go back on his decision, Ryan climbed onto the fallen car, sliding in through the broken door. Fortunately, he was small enough to hide under one of the seats, which acted like a wall with the car on its side like this. Axle dropped in a moment later, hiding behind the seat on the opposite side. Hopefully all of them were out of sight. Ryan considered returning his Pokémon to their capsules, but he could hear the voices again and was worried the light might attract the people’s attention.

“Why is the gate unlocked?”

“It is? That’s odd. But what was that explosion? I wasn’t just hearing things, right?”

“No, I heard it too. You don’t think anyone’s put explosives in the place, do you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we should contact the boss. If there is anything in there, it’s too dangerous to go in without equipment.”

“Roger that.”

Once the voices stopped, Ryan managed to work up the nerve to emerge from his hiding place, peering out through the glass of the old car. The place appeared to be empty now, with the people who had spoken a moment ago nowhere in sight.

They’d said they were going to return, though. If Ryan and the others stayed here they were going to end up in a massive heap of trouble.

Letting out a long sigh while he still felt like he had the chance, Ryan leant back against the wall of the car. What was he supposed to do now? “Sorry, Axle…”

“Why? It's not your fault. Perhaps if skippy over there hadn’t decided to create such a ruckus in missing her attack—”

“Well _excuse_ me! I’ll have you know, that was a new move,” Charlotte tutted.

“The people are going to come back,” Ryan said meaningfully, interrupting their squabble. “I don’t think it’s safe to stay here. I’m not sure what they’d do if they found you here either, Axle…”

“Right, right, it’s dangerous, I get the idea,” he muttered. “Besides, I’ll never find Denny if I just sit around in this old human place. But if you don’t mind having a dragon tag along on your journey, I guess I wouldn’t complain…”

It took a moment for what he’d just said to sink in. “Axle, you want to come with us?”

“Well, for a human, you seem decent enough. Not to mention, if travelling with you is likely to increase the chances of finding Denny… I’m willing to take the chance for that.”

“Alright,” Ryan nodded, a small smile finding its way onto his face. “If you’re travelling with us, though, you’ll need to go in a Poké ball… but I promise, if you want to return to the wild at any point, all you have to do is ask, okay?”

The dragon looked slightly less enthusiastic at the mention of the capsules – after all, he’d probably witnessed his friend get captured in one when he was taken away. Axle seemed to waver slightly for a moment in his determination, but soon gave a definite nod. “I guess I can put up with that.”

Flashing a smile as he quickly hunted through his bag, Ryan decided it’d be better to find him one now; it’d be easier to slip away unnoticed if he didn’t have a dragon following him. When he finally found an empty Poké ball, he held it out to Axle. “You just need to touch it.”

Axle stepped forward, pausing briefly to sniff the capsule before nudging it with his nose. He vanished inside with a flash of red light, and the capsule shook a few times in Ryan’s hand before it finally emitted a soft click.

“Okay, everyone else return as well, we need to get out of here,” Ryan said hurriedly, drawing the other three back inside their capsules and zipping them back into his pockets so they wouldn’t fall out. He climbed out of the car and took off at a sprint, making sure to watch what was underfoot so he didn’t trip over any of the rubble.

The gate had been left slightly ajar, probably by whoever it was that had been here just now. Ryan quickly glanced out through the bars, looking left and right to see if there was anybody around. Thankfully there were no people in sight, but he still held his breath as he squeezed through the gate, not wanting it to make any noise. Once through, he raced away towards Route 4.

 

* * *

 

The weather on the route was much the same as it had been a few days back, and once he was sure nobody had noticed or followed him, Ryan sat on one of the sandy rocks at the side of the path to catch his breath. As he released the Pokémon, Axle seemed to briefly check that he was still in one piece.

“It's all sandy here!” Jay complained, jumping back to his paws the moment he sat down, trying to shake off the grains that clung to his dark fur.

“Wow, really? I hadn’t noticed,” Charlotte muttered sarcastically.

Jay just stuck his tongue out and hopped onto Ryan’s lap instead.

The boy had to sit back to avoid getting slapped in the face by an ear. “It's alright, Jay, we’ll move on soon. Burgh might be back by now; it’s been three days.”

“What’s a Burgh?”

“You know… the gym leader in Castelia?”

“Gym leader? Are we going to fight the gym?”

“Well, you might have to sit this one out, Jay,” Ryan replied wryly, ruffling the Umbreon’s ears when they drooped at his words. “It’s a bug-type gym, and you’re a dark-type. Bug-type attacks would hurt you pretty bad.”

“Leave this to the experts,” Charlotte said, crossing her arms. “Since _some_ of us are actually able to put up with bugs.”

“Fighting-type isn’t very effective against bugs either,” Axle pointed out nonchalantly.

“That wasn’t the _only_ move I know, genius.”

“I’m sure something will work out,” Ryan concluded, hoping to avoid them getting in another squabble. “Axle, you don’t have to battle unless you want to.”

“Eh, it’s just a couple bugs. Could probably just step on ‘em and be done with it,” he muttered.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ryan said with an amused smile.

 

* * *

 

After a lot of searching to find the gym again in the maze of Castelia City, Ryan discovered that the building was actually open this time. He pushed open the door and stepped in, expecting to see the gym guide, but instead got something rather different.

“Whoa…”

The room was filled with grass that seemed to stretch most of the way to the ceiling; it was far too high for him to see over, and he had the feeling even a really tall person wouldn’t be able to either. Ryan wondered if this was what happened to someone’s lawn if they didn’t cut it for years.

There was a rustling noise from nearby, and some of the ferns parted as the gym guide emerged from within them. “Ah, hello again, young man! I see you’ve returned for your gym battle!”

Ryan nodded, but hesitated for a moment. “Burgh _is_ here this time, right?”

“He is unless he’s sneaked out again without us noticing!” the guide grinned. “I’ll explain how this gym works. This grass is a maze, and it starts here,” he pointed to where the ferns parted, “and the goal is to reach the back of the gym, where Burgh is! However, there are some trainers waiting for you in the grass as well, so I’d keep an eye out if I were you.” He tapped a temple to emphasise his point. Holding out a bottle, he added, “also, please take this fresh water in case your Pokémon need to rest before the battle!”

“Thank you.” Nestling the bottle in the side pocket of his bag, Ryan headed for the grass. He’d spent a lot of time out in the forest at home navigating the foliage, so this shouldn’t be _too_ difficult.

 

* * *

 

It hadn’t been too much of a task navigating the grass maze. They battled the gym trainers on the way through, seeing many Sewaddle, Venipede, Dwebble, even a Joltik at one point. Charlotte had done most of the battling throughout, so Ryan waited a while for her to rest and drink some water before they headed onwards to the leader.

Close to the end of the maze, he took a moment to look around at the gym once more while he waited. Although there wasn’t much to see on eye-level because of all the grass, there were various paintings hanging high up on the walls, and Ryan assumed they were painted by Burgh. They were certainly very colourful, but it was difficult trying to make out what most of them were actually supposed to _be_. Perhaps that was one of those art things he wasn’t supposed to understand.

“You ready?” Ryan soon asked, noting the now-empty bottle of water.

“Ready to kick some tail!” Charlotte said proudly. “Wait, do bugs have tails? Err—ready to kick some… cocoon!”

Ryan couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay.”

Pushing through the last of the grass, they emerged into the clearing on the other side. After seeing nothing but green for the past hour, this section of the room seemed to be bursting with colour. The walls were splattered with brightly coloured paint, some of it seeming like decoration and other parts looking like someone had accidentally spilt something. A man with curly brown hair was looking intently at a canvas resting on a painter’s easel. The painting seemed to be made up of colourful swirls of purple and green.

“Hmm… what do you think, Leonardo?”

The Leavanny standing next to him just looked at the painting and tilted his head, one leafy arm touching his chin to complete the confused look. “It's… very nice…? What even is it?”

“Hmm, you’re right. What this painting needs is more… blue. And perhaps some yellow. And some red in the corner over there…”

Leonardo let out a quiet sigh at the misinterpretation. “If you say so.” His antennas twitched suddenly, and he glanced over at the boy. “Ah—Burgh, there is a challenger for you!”

“Hmm, some more green? Leonardo, your opinion is very—oh?” the man’s attention was finally caught as the bug-type tugged at the hem of his shirt, and he looked away from his artwork at last. “Oh! Hello there, young sir! Are you here to challenge the gym?”

“Yeah,” Ryan nodded. _Hopefully he’s not too busy painting for a battle._

“Marvellous!” He cheered, tossing the paintbrush behind him and adding an extra purple splat to the wall. “Well, as you may know already, my name is Burgh, and I am a lover of these darling bug-types!” Placing a cloth over the painting and setting the easel at the side of the room where it wouldn’t get damaged, he picked up two slightly paint-covered Poké balls from the pallet, leaving a third there – probably Leonardo’s. “Now then, how many gym badges have you acquired?”

“Two, so far.”

“Fantastic! That is the number most trainers have when they challenge me,” Burgh said, grinning from ear to ear. “Very well. Kiefer, it is time to show your talent!”

The gym leader tossed one of the colourful capsules into the air, a flash of light giving way to a fierce screech as the whirlipede landed, watching them carefully from its curled-up body.

“I certainly hope you have come prepared for an artistic battle!”


	22. Premier Insect Artist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact; today (May 16th 2018) is actually the 5 year anniversary of when I first started writing this story! ... it's Old

Antennae twitched, tails flicked, and scales gleamed in the glow of the natural-coloured lights. Ryan had heard countless tales of Pokémon battles in the tall grass, but the Castelia Gym seemed to have taken that saying to a whole new level. They’d made it through the maze, and now they were facing the gym leader – and the rather fierce-looking bug he’d chosen to start off the fight.

Kiefer clicked his legs together from within his curled-up body. Bug-types often had their own ways of communicating, most likely to avoid predators, and it was evident that Charlotte had no clue whether the insect was actually talking to her or not either.

_We might as well take the chance to attack first._ He didn’t know what the Whirlipede was capable of doing, but it was a poisonous bug. It’d be best to try and defeat this thing as quickly as possible. “Charlotte, use swift.”

Raring to go, the Mienfoo jumped into the air, sending a flurry of star-shaped spears shooting towards the bug-type. As they slashed against his scales, Kiefer rolled back, curling his body up tighter.

“Off to a good start, I see!” Burgh said, seeming as cheerful as ever even though his Pokémon had taken a hit. “I suppose we’d better do something to change that. Kiefer, poison tail!”

The Whirlipede rolled forward, slow at first but swiftly gaining speed. The stingers on its tail began to glow a faint purple colour as it sped towards the Mienfoo, antennae clicking against the floor of the gym.

Charlotte had seen it coming, especially as the creature had taken a while to pick up speed. She easily hopped out of the way as it rolled past. Yet Kiefer was experienced in battle, maybe even anticipating the dodge, and he hadn’t stopped moving yet. Tilting to one side, the curled-up bug rolled in a circle, speeding towards the fighting-type once more.

“Char, behind you!”

“Huh?” She noticed just a little too late. Poisonous blades slashed across her back and the impact of the giant bug crashing into her sent her flying across the battlefield, hitting the ground with a _thump_.

“Excellent work, Kiefer! Poison tail, again!”

That last attack had done a lot of damage. Even though Charlotte had managed to climb back to her paws after being hit, she probably wouldn’t be able to withstand the same thing again. They’d have to wait for an opening. “Detect!”

The bug sped towards her once more, scales turning fast along the ground and stirring up dust from the unpolished floor. Charlotte watched silently, focusing on the bug’s movements. The first dodge was easy; she’d done it on her own accord the last time. Yet as the bug span around, heading back for its target once more, her ears twitched.

She gracefully hopped out of the way, Kiefer blinking in surprise at the speed at which she’d done so. Still, he wasn’t giving up yet. Another fast turn and he was back on track once more. The insect wasn’t giving up until he hit his mark.

Charlotte was still watching its movements carefully, getting ready to evade once more. The bug had almost reached her.

“Now, use pound!”

Scales flashed past as the fighting-type dodged out of the way, swinging one arm. Her paw connected in the middle of the curled-up body, punching the insect right in its eye and sending it reeling. Kiefer span on the spot for a moment then tipped over sideways, crashing to the ground.

“Oh my,” Burgh hummed. “That was a nicely executed move. Still, there’s a ways to go yet!” He returned the Whirlipede to a poke ball, tossing a different one into the air. “Pablo, it’s time to paint the town red!”

A rock landed on the ground with a quiet thud, and a pair of beady eyes poked out from a hole in it. Soon a scaly head emerged, then a pair of small pincers. “Paint? Challenger?”

It seemed like the Dwebble was slightly more sociable than Kiefer had been. He looked ready enough for a fight, trying to move into a battle pose despite the rock weighing him down.

“Alright, Char, let’s—” Ryan stopped when he noticed the change in his friend. “Char?”

The fighting-type looked worn out, tails and ears drooped, and her breathing sounded rough, even though she hadn’t been in the battle for long. _But she was fine just a moment ago! What happened!?_

Her fur looked different, yet still somehow familiar – and not a good kind of familiar. Patches of the yellow were tinted purple. _Poison!?_ Whirlipede and their evolutionary line sometimes had their scales infused with poison. It was a defence mechanism and a way to avoid being eaten by larger Pokémon. Charlotte must have been injected with the poison when she attacked Kiefer straight-on just now.

“Char, get back.”

“Wha—? It's just a bug hiding in a rock. I can still… fight…” Even though her words were confident, her voice faltered slightly as she swayed for a moment, trying to regain her balance.

“No! Rest for now. I know you want to fight, but you’re poisoned. You did a great job, honest.”

The last part seemed to lift her spirits, if only a little. Charlotte didn’t protest as she was pulled back inside the capsule.

_Dwebble is bug- and rock-type… I guess that means water is the best thing we have to use against it._ Red light flashed, and soon a Dewott was stood in front of him, watching the bug curiously.

“Mariana, you ready?” At his question, she gave a small nod. “Alright. Razor shell!”

Taking the scalchops from the fur at her side, she dashed across the battlefield, heading for the Dwebble.

“Hmm, what a predicament.” Burgh tapped his chin, not actually looking worried at all. “Smack down!”

Ignoring the oncoming threat, Pablo held out his claws, beginning to form a pebble between them. He glanced up at the last moment, hurriedly retreating into his shell as the attack came. The force of the shells against the rock threw it backwards, marking groves in the surface and soaking it with water.

As the rock span on the ground, Mariana glanced back towards her trainer, a happy look on her face. Yet, when the rock slowed to a halt, Pablo popped back out of it, still holding onto the pebble he’d created which was steadily getting larger.

“Mariana, look out!”

The Dewott glanced around slightly too late as the rock was flung towards her. It hit her in the side of the head, sending her sprawling to the ground.

“Mariana!” Ryan cried. “Are you okay?”

Slowly climbing back to her feet, Mariana flinched as she held one paw to the side of her face. “Th-that… hurt…” There was a slightly different look in her eyes, one he had seen before – from Jay.

Ryan wanted to make sure she was alright, but right now he could tell that the water-type still had a little fighting spirit left; enough to have learnt a new move. “Now! Revenge!”

The worn-out bug wasn’t able to get away fast enough with the rock weighing him down – and having only held on for so long due to how sturdy the rock was, the reprisal attack was enough to defeat Pablo.

“Well now, aren’t you a tough trainer?” Burgh chirped with a bright grin spread on his face. “Rest now, Pablo. Leonardo, you’re up!”

Antennae twitching, the Leavanny gracefully stepped forward into the arena. Mariana glanced nervously at the leaves his body was mostly comprised of and shuffled back.

“It's okay; you don’t have to fight the grass-type,” Ryan assured quietly, holding out her Poké ball. As Mariana hurried back over to safely, he noticed she was still holding one paw to the side of her face, and he frowned. “You okay?”

Mariana gave a small nod. “Yeah. I’ll be fine soon. Can… I stay out and watch?”

Ryan blinked in surprise, but eventually just gave a shrug and a smile. “Sure, I guess you can watch – just try and stay out of range of the attacks.” _I’m not sure who’s going to fight, though. I can’t send Jay out against a bug-type, and Charlotte is still poisoned, so I guess the only other option—_

“Marvellous! I have never seen such a strong bond between trainer and their Pokémon!” Burgh cheered, interrupting his thoughts. “In the heat of battle, despite all at stake, the trainer still thinks of their wellbeing before his desire to win – oh, this is giving me so much inspiration!”

Leonardo let out a small sigh, rolling his eyes. “Here we go again…”

“This battle shall create a masterpiece, I can see it now! And – oh?” He noticed the look the bug was giving him. “Ah, yes, the battle. The more inspiration, the better!”

The gym leader was watching him expectantly, waiting for him to send out his next Pokémon. Left with no other choice, Ryan released the dragon-type. “Axle!”

Landing rather heavily compared to the others, Axle watched his opponent through narrowed eyes, a faint growl echoing from within his throat and tusks gleaming in the lights.

“Oh my,” the leader hummed. “I must say, this isn’t quite what I was expecting! Still, nothing Leonardo can’t handle. Struggle bug!”

Axle didn’t have much time to react before the insect attacked, hitting him with leaf-like pincers. The dragon snarled as he tried to bat Leonardo away.

_I don’t even know what moves Axle knows! What can he do to attack!?_ What was a Fraxure most likely to know how to do? “Dragon claw!”

Apparently that had been a good decision. Lashing out with sharp claws, Axle slashed the insect, tearing through a few of the leaves on his body. That was enough to push Leonardo back, even if he did manage to retain his balance, wincing slightly.

That had done a _lot_ of damage.

“Oh, Leonardo!” Burgh gasped. He narrowed his eyes in thought. “Alright, maybe battling up close isn’t such a good idea. Razor leaf!”

Straightening his posture, Leonardo glared at the dragon, clearly unhappy about taking such a powerful hit. He sent a flurry of sharp-edged leaves flying through the air, slicing across the dragon’s body. Mariana instinctively ran to hide behind Ryan so that none of the leaves would reach her.

Axle’s scales mostly protected him from the leaves, but he still had the burn from before, where the scales were just starting to grow back. The dragon let out an agonised snarl as the blade-like leaves slashed across the healing injury.

“Axle!” _Why did I make him fight when he was still injured!?_ “Get back, you’re hurt!”

“What? But—” Axle’s eyes widened in surprise, but before he had a chance to say anything else, the red light surrounded him and he was drawn back into the Poké ball.

Looking at the capsule in his hand, Ryan was silent for a long moment. He only had one Pokémon left who wasn’t hurt or poisoned, but would he really be able to stand up to a bug-type?

The fight on Route 9 was still reasonably fresh in his mind, and the attack Jay had taken then hadn’t even been super effective. What if the same thing happened again?

Still, they were stronger now. That Espeon had been powerful.

Besides, what other choice did he have at this point?

Switching the capsules around, he soon found the one he was looking for, enlarging it and pressing the button to let the Umbreon out. “Jay!”

The dark-type landed proudly on all fours before glancing around, ears twitching as he scanned the surroundings. “Is this the gym? It looks like a forest! Are there Pokémon here? Are you the opponent? ”

“A dark-type?” Burgh seemed slightly surprised. “Well, Leonardo, I suppose this shouldn’t be too difficult for you. Struggle bug, again!”

Given the type advantage, it was probably no surprise that Jay didn’t fare too well against the bug-type attack. Pincers slashed across his fur and he was smashed back across the arena. It certainly did a lot of damage, but the Umbreon still managed to climb back to his paws afterwards, even if his ears and tail were drooping slightly.

He wouldn’t be able to stand up to another attack like that. There was only one way to win this battle.

“Payback! Aim for the place Axle hit him earlier!”

Taking a moment to work out exactly what he meant, Jay quickly nodded, racing towards the Leavanny, gaining power from the damage he’d already taken. He crashed into the bug, hitting the torn leaves on his abdomen and sending him flying from the sheer force.

Jay stumbled as he landed, panting heavily but still just about managing to remain on all four paws.  Leonardo wasn’t so fortunate.  The bug-type crashed to the ground a few metres away with a startled chirp. He managed to stagger back to his feet, but his leafy legs trembled from the effort, and he soon fell back to his knees.

“Leonardo was defeated? Oh, my, my, my!” Burgh stepped forward to pat the insect’s shoulder. “Still, on the bright side, at least there’s no fire to put out this time…”

Leonardo did seem to perk up slightly at that. With him being especially weak to fire, that was an unfortunately common occurrence.

“I suppose I must congratulate you, challenger!” the leader beamed, although it soon faltered slightly into a look of surprise. “Err—are you listening to me?”

Ryan had paid little attention to the gym leader since the end of the battle, instead walking over to his Pokémon. Despite the boy’s concerned look, the Umbreon at the least seemed very excited, hopping around in glee at having defeated his opponent.

“We won! We won! I beat him! Yay!” Jay cheered, running in a circle, his weariness seemingly vanished.

The boy returned him to his Poké ball mid-hop, eliciting a slightly surprised look from the creature. Mariana, who had been stood by his side throughout the latter part of the battle, was soon returned as well.

Antennae twitching in concern, Leonardo climbed wearily back to his feet, and took a few steps towards the boy. “Excuse me child, are you okay?”

At the insect’s prompt, Ryan glanced up, a semi-forced smile on his face as he nodded.

Not realising that had been a response to the insect and instead assuming it confirmation of his earlier question, Burgh continued. “Congratulations, you have beaten the Castelia Gym!” Holding out both hands, he presented something in each. “And here is the proof; the Insect Badge. Take this TM as well; TM76, struggle bug. It may come in handy sometime, if you wish to _insect_ it into the move set of one of your Pokémon!”

“That was terrible,” Leonardo muttered blankly, beyond the older human’s understanding.

 

* * *

 

It was his fault.

Why couldn’t he be a better trainer?

If he was then he’d be able to stop his Pokémon from getting hurt.

It had been a while since Ryan returned to the Pokémon Centre. Despite the reddening sky outside he still hadn’t eaten, but he didn’t feel hungry right now. He’d just sat on the bed in today’s room, knees pulled up to his chest and head buried in his arms.

Sure, they’d won their third gym badge. But in the process he’d managed to get all of his Pokémon badly hurt. They’d been healed since the battle, but was it really fair to force them to take injuries in the first place?

Lifting his head, Ryan looked for a long moment at the Poké balls on the bedside table, eventually reaching over and picking one up. The outside was starting to look scuffed in places when enlarged, but the original gleam was still there. To think people had been capturing Pokémon in these things for centuries…

The room was brightened momentarily by a flash of red light. Jay stumbled as he landed on the mattress, expecting solid ground rather than something so springy underneath his paws. That didn’t seem to bother him for long, and he was soon jumping excitedly in circles until he noticed the downcast expression of his trainer.

“Ryan?” The Umbreon hopped forward, slightly unevenly, reaching up to nudge the boy’s shoulder, letting out a quiet worried whimper.

A few moments later the dark-type was carefully pulled into a hug. “Jay, I… I’m sorry. You were badly hurt again. It’s my fault…” His voice faltered slightly. He wanted to just bury his face in the Pokémon’s fur, but Jay probably wouldn’t appreciate him making his fur damp.

“But it was the Lee… Levan… other Pokémon’s fault, not yours!” Jay protested. “And I’m fine now! And, and we won the battle!”

“But what if you weren’t fine? What if that Leavanny had been stronger? What if it had hurt you even worse, like… like…” Ryan trailed off, biting the inside of his cheek. “I don’t want that to happen again!”

“But it didn’t! I won!” Jay squirmed excitably, causing Ryan to release him from the embrace. “I’m getting stronger! Getting hit is just what happens with that!”

Ryan just watched him for a long moment, eyes wide. That was really how Jay felt about battling?

Reaching over for the other capsules, he released the creatures inside. Mariana landed on all fours to balance herself, Charlotte managing to remain on two feet until Axle landed on the mattress and she was almost sent flying from the impact on the springs.

“Is… that how you guys feel about fighting too? Don’t you hate getting hurt?”

“Well, duh,” Charlotte tutted. “Who _wants_ to get hurt?”

“But if you give up because of that, you never get stronger,” Mariana nodded quietly. “Injuries don’t last for long. Strength lasts a lot longer.”

“Besides, if I was strongly against battling, I wouldn’t do it just because a human told me to,” Axle mumbled nonchalantly, settling at the foot of the bed. “It’s not like we’re not _supposed_ to fight. When you live in the wild, it’s pretty much survival of the fittest. If you look at it that way, you’re probably doing us a favour.”

“So… you really don’t mind?”

“A’ course not! We’re Pokémon, it’s like our job,” Charlotte shrugged, jumping to cling to his shoulder and ruffle his hair with one paw. “So stop crying about it, ya big baby.”

That was enough to get a smile and a laugh out of him. “Alright, alright.”

Jay hopped on and off his lap impatiently. “Can we go get food now? I’m hungry!”


	23. Wild Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me introduce to you: my favourite character in the entire story. It only took him 23 chapters to show up.

Bright and early the next morning, Ryan headed out for Nimbasa City once more. The sunlight gleaming off the buildings made them visible even from Route 4, where the winds had settled down for a while.

As he crossed the city, Ryan couldn’t help but cast a passing glance at the old amusement park. The gate had been padlocked shut once more; yellow tape stretched tightly around the bars to make sure nobody could slip through. He gave a mental sigh of relief that Axle had decided to go with them; the dragon would be trapped in there otherwise.

When they stopped for a rest at the Pokémon Centre, Ryan looked through one of the pamphlets to see what was actually in the city. The map he carried was good for major landmarks and knowing what general direction to head in, but it was impossible to view smaller detail such as streets and buildings. The entirety of Nimbasa seemed like a large tourist location, with something for just about everyone; the musical, the sports stadiums, the theatres, and he eventually managed to locate the gym.

Still, after that close call with Burgh, he knew they’d have to do some training before they went to challenge it. Besides, he didn’t know who the gym leader was or even what type of Pokémon they used.

There were nearby routes on either side of the city; Route 5 and Route 16. Deciding they might as well check them both out, Ryan chose one at random and headed for Route 16 first.

There were a few trainers on the route, and even some of the nearby police officers were looking for a battle, startling him as they approached and making him fear that he’d somehow been recognised from the amusement park.

Leaving the path, the trees were sparse at first but soon developed into more of a forest, much like the area near Route 9 where he’d run into that Gothorita. Keeping watch for any territorial Pokémon, Ryan continued walking through the trees, with Jay trotting along happily beside him. The dark-type probably felt even more at home in a place like this than he did.

When they were deeper into the woods, he soon noticed a slight change in the colour up ahead. At first he assumed it was a particularly autumn-coloured bush or just a rock smothered by fallen leaves, but upon closer inspection it looked more like orange fur.

Ryan hesitated. It looked like a rather large Pokémon for a small route-side forest. What was it doing here?

Careful not to rustle too many of the fallen leaves and avoid startling the creature, he slowly made his way closer. Thankfully Jay caught on, pacing carefully after him instead of romping through the forest. When they reached the edge of the small clearing where the Pokémon was, Ryan could finally see that it was an Arcanine, curled up asleep with its head resting on its paws. Its ginger striped fur seemed to blend rather well with the autumn colours of the trees.

Although, surprisingly, the Arcanine wasn’t alone. It was curled around a person, most likely its trainer, protecting them and acting as an oversized cushion at the same time; a man, maybe in his late twenties or early thirties, with long scruffy brown hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and a red bandana keeping the fringe out of his face – mostly unsuccessfully. Clad in a plain dark v-neck shirt, battered trousers and a long coat which probably reached down past his knees, it was difficult to work out what someone like that might be doing in a forest, very still, with their eyes closed…

“Is he… asleep?” Ryan muttered quietly, exchanging a glance with Jay, who looked just as clueless as ever.

The dog’s ear twitched at the sound of his voice, eyes blinking open sleepily. Lifting its head and letting out a yawn, it licked its muzzle a few times before finally glancing in their direction. Ryan froze, hoping it was friendly.

Apparently, that wasn’t what he should have been worried about.

“Person? Person! Person, person, person! Person!” Any traces of sleepiness quickly vanished, and the fire dog jumped to its paws in a flash, springing towards Ryan and stopping so close he had to take a step back in fear of being squished. “Person! Person!  Umbreon! Person!” Eyes gleamed with excitement as the creature danced from side to side on its large paws, and its tail was wagging so fast it created a draft.

Unfortunately for the trainer, he’d had the rather rude awakening of being thrown against the ground.

“Dammit, Champ, I wish you’d give at least _some_ warning before you do things like that,” the man sighed, sitting up with a wince and rubbing at the back of his head.

Immediately the dog froze, her ears and tail drooping. She padded back over to the stranger. “Sorry, sorry.” Her apology was accompanied by a sloppy lick to his face.

“Yes, thank you, I feel much better now that my face is covered in dog spit. Apology accepted.” He grimaced, pushing the affectionate Pokémon back with one arm and using the other to wipe his face with his sleeve.

Champ seemed happy at that, tail wagging once more.

“What’s got you so riled up anyways? Better not just be another Patrat—” he paused as he finally noticed Ryan. “Oh, hi. How long have you been there?”

“Uhh—not long?” Ryan shrugged helplessly.

Climbing to his feet and dusting his clothes off, the stranger hummed to himself. “You look like a trainer. That why a kid like you is wandering around in the forest? People don’t usually go this close to Lostlorn.”

_So that’s what’s further ahead_. “We’re just looking for trainers to battle. My Pokémon need more practice before we challenge the gym.”

“Well, I hope you’re not expecting a battle from me.” He absent-mindedly rubbed at one eye; he looked like he hadn’t slept properly in a while, if the darkness under his eyes was anything to go by. “I’ve only been awake for two minutes and already the trainers are after a fight.”

“No, no, it’s alright.” Ryan cast a glance at Champ; she was big, even for an Arcanine, and her fluff hid strong muscles. “I think your Pokémon might be a bit strong for mine to fight anyhow.”

“Smart kid,” he smirked, amusement in his eyes as if there was some kind of hidden joke Ryan wasn’t seeing. “Elesa can be a difficult challenge, especially if you don’t have a ground-type. On the other hand, if you’re not good with flashing lights, it’s probably not the most fun place in the Nimbasa Gym either…”

“Elesa?” What would he need a ground-type for? “Are they an electric-type gym leader?”

“Bingo!” the stranger clapped his hands together. “And—well, she won’t like it if I give too many of her secrets away. Better leave her strategy a surprise,” he winked.

Ryan just showed a look of confusion. This guy was really odd. Perhaps he’d challenged the gym recently? That would explain how he seemed to know so much about it.

The Arcanine seemed to have taken an interest in Ryan once more, padding over to sniff at his bag. “Have food?” Her tail wagged excitedly, and she gave a half-hop, only her front paws leaving the ground. “Food! Berries! Food!”

_She reminds me of a certain other Pokémon…_ He gave the dog an apologetic smile. “I do, but I’m saving them in case we need them.”

“She’s probably just trying to see if you have food on… you…” A sudden look of combined confusion and surprise appeared on the stranger’s face. “Wait; did she _say_ something to you?”

“Oh… I can… understand Pokémon,” Ryan muttered. There seemed to have been mixed reactions to that so far.

Fortunately, this seemed to be one of the more positive ones. “Really? Wow, that’s pretty neat. Although I’ve been told Champ only repeats a few words,” he laughed.

_How does he know that…!?_

“You’re certainly an unusual kid, aren’t ya. No offense, of course. What’s your name?”

“Ryan. And this is Jay,” Ryan motioned towards the Umbreon, who had started to take interest in his bag as well after being reminded of the berries inside.

“Nice to meet ya, Ryan,” the man held out a hand for him to shake. “And you too, Jay.”

“Hi!” the dark-type chirped happily.

When Ryan shook his hand, he hesitated briefly before finally giving himself an introduction. “The name’s Nate.”

_Nate_. Hadn’t he heard that name before somewhere?

_Wait…_ “You… you’re the _champion_!?” Ryan’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t imagined even _seeing_ the champion until they reached the Pokémon league, let alone finding him out in the middle of a forest! _But that would explain why he knows so much about the gym, and why his Pokémon looks so strong…_

Nate held up his arms in mock defence – although Ryan could’ve sworn there was a flash of panic in his eyes. “No need to look so surprised!”

“Sorry, I just—you’re the _champion_ of Unova!?”

The guy just laughed at his baffled expression. “Well, I guess I don’t really look the part, huh – or the same as I did, like, fifteen years ago.” He folded his arms casually. “Though believe it or not, this is only the second time I’ve ever met someone who could understand what a Pokémon was saying.”

A ringing sound broke into the conversation, making both Pokémon jump at such a foreign sound in the middle of a forest. The generic default ringtone of an Xtransceiver.

“Wait, that’s me,” Nate stated apologetically, pushing back his sleeve to view the device on his wrist before pulling a face and muttering quietly to himself. “Oh great, what does he want…?” He tapped the screen, turning away from the newcomers. “Hey.”

“Nate! Where are you!?”

“Well, it’s nice to see you too, Cheren. A traditional ‘hello’ would have sufficed…”

“Never mind that. Where are you?” Although Ryan couldn’t see the screen from here, Cheren sounded somewhat panicked, much different than the calm gym leader he’d seen in Aspertia.

“That depends. ‘Where’ as in general area, or were you wanting the exact coordinates of my location?” It was easy to tell that Nate wasn’t being serious. “You know I’m bad at reading maps.”

“Just _tell me where you are, asshole_!”

The champion gave a gasp of feigned surprise. “ _Cheren_! Language! There are kids here. You’re supposed to be setting a good example!” He cast an impish glance in Ryan’s direction; this must have been how he always acted towards the stern gym leader.

“Nate, stop joking around, this is serious!”

“Alright, alright. What’s got your pants in a twist this time?”

“Are you anywhere near Lostlorn Forest?”

“Route 16, why?”

“Bianca headed over there days ago to do some research for Juniper. I don’t know what it was about, but she was supposed to be heading home today and she’s not answering her Xtransceiver. Could you please go check that nothing’s happened to her? I’d go if I could, but I can’t leave the gym until this afternoon.”

No wonder Cheren sounded so worried. Bianca was his wife, after all.

Nate’s brow furrowed, the seriousness of the situation setting in at last. “Alright. I’ll go have a look around and let you know what I find.”

Cheren let out a sigh of relief, which mostly came out as static in the call. “Thanks.”

The moment the call ended, Nate clicked his fingers. “Champ, c’mon. Mission time.”

Champ gave a determined bark, running back over to her trainer. Any traces of overenthusiasm had vanished to be replaced with a sincerity that certainly wouldn’t have been expected of the creature a few minutes ago.

“Well, see ya ‘round, kid. Good luck in your gym battle.” He raised one hand in a wave as he turned to walk away.

“W-wait!” Ryan called. “I want to go too!”

“What?” Nate glanced back in surprise, a frown on his face. “It's not exactly a field trip; we’re just going to look around the forest. Besides, if anything _has_ happened there, it could be dangerous.”

“But… Bianca is a friend of my mum’s. I want to make sure she’s okay too.” As much as he’d rather avoid any possible bone-crushing hugs, Bianca was a nice person. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.

“… Ehh, alright, fine. If we’re lucky, Bianca’s just got side-tracked by something shiny and Cheren’s worrying about nothing. But if there _is_ anything dangerous around – which there probably isn’t – you let us handle it, alright?”

“Alright.” Ryan nodded. He wanted to help, but if there was any trouble, Nate would be more than able to handle it on his own. He was the champion, after all.

“Good. Off we go then!”

 

* * *

 

The trees gradually became denser until the group reached a line of thick shrubs. At first Ryan wondered if they’d have to squeeze through the bushes, but Nate and Champ led the way along the edge, eventually reaching a large gap in the plants. An old wooden sign was just outside, rotted by age and weather, but it was still legible.

_Lostlorn Forest._

“Last chance to change your mind,” Nate said, only half joking. Beyond the bushes the forest was darker, and the canopy overhead even blocked out most of the sunlight, only a few thin rays managing to break through the leaves.

It certainly looked intimidating, but Ryan reminded himself that it was just a forest; nothing but plants and Pokémon – and sometimes combinations of both. He shook his head.

“That’s the spirit!” Ducking slightly to avoid the overhanging ferns, Nate stepped through the nature-made arch. “Alright, Champ, you might have some difficulty getting through here. You come back for now.”

The fire-type’s tail still wagged even as she was sent back into her Poké ball. The light was enough to brighten the forest for a brief moment, and there was a shuffling sound somewhere nearby as a couple of wild Pokémon fled for their burrows.

Jay seemed to be on high alert as he entered the darker forest, looking around constantly, ears pricked.

“It’s alright, Jay; it’s just the wild Pokémon.”

“I’m not scared!” the Umbreon protested stubbornly.

“Might need some help searching a forest this big. Isn’t called Lostlorn for nothing,” Nate commented, mostly to himself, as he plucked a different Poké ball from his belt, before pausing. “What the heck is up with you…?” Unclipping another capsule, this one was shaking slightly, as if the creature inside was trying to get out. With a shrug, he pressed the release button.

Needless to say, Ryan was slightly surprised to see a red-and-black fox standing in front of him.

“Zoroark!?” boy and Umbreon exclaimed in unison.

The creature’s ears perked at the exclamation, but he soon held a look of confusion and slight disappointment. “You’re not… hmph.” A stubborn huff escaping his snout, the fox paced around him, sniffing the air.

It was a different Zoroark than the one they knew, that was for sure. He looked younger, and his fur was better kept, unlike the scruffy mane of the wild creature that lived in the forest at home.

Eliciting a quiet grumble, the fox nudged the side of the boy’s head, still sniffing, soon letting out another huff that ruffled his hair. “Why do you smell like him?”

“Like who?”

“Looks like Zoroark likes you,” Nate chuckled. “The only person I’ve ever seen him willingly go that close to was N.”

“You—you knew my father?”

“Your _father_!?” That was the most surprised he’d seen the guy look so far, a look of almost disbelief on his face. It soon vanished though as he let out a laugh, slapping a hand to his forehead. “Of course! How didn’t I piece that together? Oh man… now it makes sense. I haven’t seen the guy in over a decade; he could very well have a kid your age by now. I guess he found the trainer he was looking for. In more ways than one!”

“Huh…?”

“Err—never mind, never mind,” he continued hastily, waving his hands. “Forget that part. Still, I guess that’s why Zoroark took such a shine to you. N used to be his trainer.”

“Trainer?” Ryan questioned with a frown, as if trying to speak a foreign word. “I didn’t know Dad was ever a trainer.” Or at least, he’d never mentioned it…

“Well, you learn something new every day,” Nate shrugged. “I know I certainly have. So if I’d have to hazard a guess, your mother is… what’s her name… it begins with a T, right?”

“Touko.”

“Touko! That’s the one. Man, N, you’ve really gotten somewhere in life since we last met, getting a family and everything.” Although there was a smile on his face, there almost seemed to be a hint of sadness in his eyes – but it soon vanished. “Anyhow. Zoroark, I know you’d love to catch up with your newly-found nephew, but we’ve got a task on our hands right now and this forest is full of bugs. Back you go.”

Zoroark let out a quiet grumble but didn’t protest, offering Ryan a small dip of his head before he vanished back into the Poké ball.

“Maybe you should go into your Poké ball too, Jay,” Ryan offered quietly.

“Yeah! Because… because there’s bugs in the forest,” Jay nodded, seeming more than happy to return to the capsule.

Nate opened the Poké ball he’d picked out initially. “Alright, Lucas! We need your help.”

A Lucario landed lightly on the grass, glancing around calmly. He gave a nod at Ryan as if acknowledging him before glancing up at his trainer, waiting for instructions.

“We’re trying to find if Bianca is somewhere around here. Think you could check?”

“Hmm.” Without giving much of a worded response, Lucas closed his eyes. His ears twisted to each angle, and the appendages at the back of his head twitched, as if he were trying to sense something. There was a long moment of silence, neither of the trainers wanting to disturb the creature’s concentration as he scanned the area. Ryan just watched in awe, wondering how a non-psychic type was capable of something like that.

Eyes opening with a quiet grunt, Lucas turned to face the trees ahead. “This way.” With a flick of his paw to tell them to follow, he began to walk through the foliage, tail swaying lightly behind him and ears twitching, still on high alert.

As he followed his Pokémon, Nate had gained a rather deep frown; a look of concern. He’d expected them not to find any trace at all. “Alright. He’s sensed something.”

Ryan had prioritised finding Bianca, but due to his own curiosity he couldn’t help but hurry to catch up with the Lucario. The creature was still paying close attention to the surroundings, but seemed to have enough awareness to glance back at the boy at the same time.

“How did you do that…?” Ryan asked, wonder on his face.

“Do what?” the Pokémon replied, tilting his head slightly, clearly used to emphasising his speech so that he’d be understood.

“Just now. When you were… _sensing_.” That was the best way he could think of explaining it. “How did you do that? Without, y’know… being a psychic type.”

“Aura,” he replied simply.

“Or a… what?”

“Huh?” the fighting-type let out a quiet grumble, any surprise at being understood quickly pushed aside. “I searched for the cheery lady’s aura.”

_Aura…_ Ryan must have looked confused, because Lucas continued.

“It's the power within people and Pokémon. Very few are able to sense it. Most of those who can are fighting- or psychic-type Pokémon.”

“Oh, I see.” It seemed simple enough. Ryan had been taught many things about Pokémon at school, but it seemed there was a lot left to learn. Who needed lessons when you could travel the regions instead?

It was only a short while before the Pokémon halted, glancing around silently.

“Lu, you found her yet?” his trainer questioned.

Remaining in his alert stance for a moment longer, the Lucario finally nodded, hopping over a fallen branch and waving one paw for them to follow.

“This way,” Nate stated, as if that wasn’t obvious enough already.

Lucas was moving faster now, repeatedly glancing over his shoulder to make sure the humans were keeping up. Despite how dense the forest was in this area, both Pokémon and trainer didn’t seem to have much trouble getting through. Ryan was used to spending a lot of time in the forest back at home, so avoiding the roots protruding from the ground as he ran was easy enough, but he was still somewhat surprised that Nate would be the same.

Perhaps being the champion meant that he was good at many other things too.

Still, there wasn’t much time to think about that right now. The trees were starting to grow closer together as they headed towards the deepest part of the forest, and only occasionally were there clearings between them. Where exactly were they going?

All of a sudden Lucas halted hurriedly, giving a warning grunt and holding out both arms to tell them to stop.

“Whoa! Lucas, what’s the matter?” Nate asked, as he almost ran into his Pokémon. The champion glanced around, trying to work out what the problem was. “Bianca isn’t here. Why’d we stop?”

Glancing up at his trainer, Lucas held out one paw in front of him, pointing ahead.

“What? I don’t see anything.” Yet as Nate tried to take a step forward, the fighting-type used one arm to push him back. Giving Lucas a questioning glance, Nate looked ahead for a brief moment. “Oh, I see…”

“Huh…?” Ryan looked around, but he couldn’t see anything.

“Keep watching the forest ahead,” Nate explained simply.

A confused expression on his face, Ryan faced forward, watching the trees. What was he supposed to be looking at?

Then he noticed something. It looked like a small spark of electricity, passing a few metres in front of them. Warily he took a step back.

“Perhaps it’s a Galvantula web or something,” Nate shrugged. “Still, they usually stick to Chargestone Cave, and their webs are usually buried underground…” He looked around at the forest floor for a moment, eventually picking up a small piece of bark which a Pokémon must have torn from one of the trees. With an over arm throw, he tossed it forwards.

As soon as it reached the electricity, whatever was there reacted very quickly. Sparks flew from somewhere in the trees above, shooting towards the small piece of wood and causing a bright light in the darkness of the forest. After a second it vanished, and the piece of bark was flung back into the ground with a quiet thud.

“Well, that was… violent,” Nate commented, seeming unsettled by what had just happened. He crouched down to look at the experiment; the edges of the bark had been burned and blackened, one corner giving off a thin trail of smoke. “Is Bianca past here?”

Lucas took a moment to scan the area in front of them before briefly shaking his head. Keeping a close eye on where the electricity was, he led them along the perimeter of the barrier.

Ryan couldn’t help but glance around nervously as they walked. Whatever the strange barrier was, he’d never seen anything like that made by a Pokémon before. In fact, the more he thought about what kind of creature could have created that thing, the more he noticed just how quiet it seemed in the forest. He couldn’t see or hear any Pokémon nearby. Everything seemed far too… silent.

What if this barrier was scaring them away? Did that mean a person had put this thing up?

“There!” Lucas’s sudden call nearly made him jump out of his skin. The Lucario raced forward, hopping over a rock ahead.

With Ryan’s momentary distraction, Nate easily beat him there. “Bianca! What—”

The blonde woman was collapsed on her side next to the rocks, clearly unconscious. A Poké ball lay on the ground nearby, as if she’d been preparing to send one of her Pokémon out but had dropped the capsule instead.

What had happened here!?

Ryan swallowed nervously. “Is—i-is she okay…?”

Nate didn’t reply, kneeling on the grass and reaching over to shake her shoulder. “Hey! Bianca, wake up.”

For a moment it looked like he wasn’t going to get a reaction from her; then Bianca let out a quiet mumble, her eyes sliding open. “Nate…? Is that you?”

The man let out a sigh of relief. “The one and only. You okay?”

“I… think so.” Arms trembling from either shock or the effort at pushing herself up into a sitting position, she looked around. “I just remember walking through here… then I think I got attacked by something, and everything went black.”

“You must have walked into the barrier,” Nate muttered. “You just got thrown against the rocks. Luckily it doesn’t seem to have done much more than knock you out.”

“Well, I suppose that explains why my head hurts…” She ran her fingers through her blonde hair, flinching as she felt the small lump which had inevitably formed where she’d fallen. “Wait—barrier…?”

“There’s electricity running between some of the trees,” he explained simply. “Anyway, you should probably go to the Pokémon Centre, they can check the injury ain’t too serious. Make sure you call Cheren at some point; the guy’s been worrying his head off thinking something terrible happened to you.”

“Oh, poor Cherry, he must have been worried sick!” Bianca gasped. At the nickname, Nate had to cough to cover up the fact that he almost laughed – luckily Bianca didn’t seem to notice. “Okay. I’ll call him on the way there.” Using the rocks for support, and Nate’s arm when he offered it, she managed to climb back to her feet, albeit slightly wobbly still.

Meanwhile, Ryan had taken more of an interest in the discarded Poké ball. Lifting it from the ferns where it had fallen, he held it out to Bianca. “Is this your Pokémon?”

“Hm…? Oh, Ryan! You’re here too! And yes, she’s mine.” Gratefully taking the capsule with a smile, she released the Pokémon inside. A Stoutland landed on the grass, quickly shaking out her fur before glancing around, nudging her muzzle against Bianca’s hand. “It's okay, Sophie, I’m alright! But I know you’ll look after me until we get to Nimbasa. Nate is a big baby and won’t go near the city.”

“I’m not _deaf_ , Bianca.” The champion rolled his eyes.

“I know,” she giggled. Leaving the affectionate Pokémon for a moment, she walked over to give him a hug – and from the way he winced, Ryan could tell that Bianca definitely showed no favourites when it came to how tight her embraces were. “Well, see you later!”

“Yeah.” He patted her back. “Now you’d better get over to the Pokémon centre before you either make Cheren more worried or crush my feeble lungs,” Nate joked, sounding slightly winded.

Ryan had been glancing around at the forest once more and was totally unprepared for the sudden Bianca hug that he was pulled into. “And you take care, okay, Ryan? We don’t want Touko worrying too much about you as well.”

“Alright…” he muttered, trying to hide the fact that it was rather difficult to breathe in the tight embrace.

“Okay. Bye for now!” She waved as she and her Pokémon headed back through the forest.

Ryan returned the gesture as he watched her go. Bianca was really nice, but he wished she wasn’t so… _enthusiastic_ when it came to hugs.

“Alright. Ryan, you might wanna stand back.”

“What? Why?” As he looked back over at the champion once more, he noticed Nate was holding a Poké ball. Lucas was standing by the rocks still, and the fighting-type gestured for Ryan to join him.

“Shelter here, just in case,” the Pokémon said simply, as if that was going to explain what was going on. Still confused, Ryan did as he said, watching over the top of the boulders so that he could still see what was happening.

Satisfied that the boy was safe there, Nate released the creature from the capsule he was holding. Its black and white stripes stood out against the green and brown of the forest, and the zebra impatiently pawed the ground with one hoof.

“Raisin, y’see that electric barrier in front of us?” Nate asked. “You can handle that, right?”

The Zebstrika just snorted, trotting forward, hooves making thudding sounds against the hard earth. He showed no signs of nervousness at all as he neared the barrier.

_What’s he doing!? Even if he is an electric-type, he’s going to get hurt!_

Bolts of electricity shot from the trees as soon as Raisin reached the barrier, not seeming phased at all as he stood within it. The electricity kept coming, getting brighter and brighter and more powerful – but it wasn’t effecting the Pokémon at all. His mane was starting to glow and spark.

Zebstrika stored electricity in their manes. The electricity wasn’t harming him because he was absorbing it.

The electrified hair along the zebra’s back glowed brighter, sparking with static as the charge grew. Just as Ryan was starting to get worried it might be too much for the creature to take, Raisin gave a nonchalant snort. His tail flicked and his mane flared up even more, and an almost blinding amount of electricity erupted from his back, returning to the trees.

There was a small explosion as something in the tree short-circuited, a few charred leaves fluttering down to the forest floor below and smoke slowly dissipating from the branches.

“Wow…” Ryan muttered.

Raisin lazily glanced back, a quiet huff shooting from his nose, seeming rather unimpressed at the boy’s awe. “Humans.”

“Good job, buddy- ow!” Nate hurriedly drew his hand back as he patted the zebra’s side – evidently, not all of the static was gone from his fur just yet. “Gotta remember not to do that. Alright, return for now.”

“It’s safe,” Lucas determined, glancing at Ryan. “You can come out now.”

Emerging from the rocks at last, Ryan watched the forest in front of them for a long moment, waiting to see electricity snaking past but only seeing the clear air ahead. “Did you just get rid of the barrier?”

“Yep.” Nate nodded. “It was being created by something in the trees, and have you seen any wild Pokémon around here?”

Ryan shook his head.

“Exactly. This is something man-made; the wild Pokémon are avoiding it. There must be something going on here, and I’d say we might as well find out what it is.”


	24. Stirring

The lack of wild Pokémon in the deep forest was definitely noticeable; Ryan hadn’t seen or heard any since they’d passed the now-broken barrier. The forest at home was always full of life, whether it was Deerling prancing around the trees or Pidove chattering to each other in the branches overhead. The quiet made the place seem creepy, foreboding even, and Ryan fought the urge to send out one of his own Pokémon just to make him feel better. If the wild creatures didn’t want to be in this place, he had the feeling his team wouldn’t like it either.

But why? What was even in here?

There were two things he was certainly glad of; that it was the middle of the day, and that he wasn’t here alone.

“Lucas, is there anyone else nearby?” Nate asked. His voice seemed a lot louder in the silence, as did the rustling of leaves with every step they took.

The Lucario halted, closing his eyes and scanning the area with his powers. The pause left the area silent, unnervingly so, and all Ryan could hear was the sound of his breath and the nervous beating of his heart.

Eventually Lucas opened his eyes, seeming confused as he gave a simple shake of his head.

“There… isn’t?” Nate raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t sense anything? No people, no Pokémon, no nothing?”

Another shake.

“Weird.” The champion glanced around at the trees, crossing his arms as he tried to decide on what to do. “I don’t get it. What was the need for a barrier if there’s nothing here?”

Assuming that was more of a rhetorical question, Ryan didn’t even attempt to form an answer. He was confused, too. If there was nothing here, why were there no wild Pokémon around? Were they just staying away from the barrier?

Something broke the silence; a whirring, creaking sound somewhere nearby, straight ahead of them. Lucas’s ears twitched in alarm as his gaze snapped around to that direction. Pokémon and trainer exchanged a startled glance.

“Lucas, your mind’s on the blink,” Nate joked light-heartedly, leading the way through the trees. The Pokémon gave off a quiet mumble but seemed more worried about the safety of his trainer than the comment.

Ryan remained where he was for a moment, frozen to the spot. There was nothing to be scared of. He was here with the _champion_. Both Nate and his Pokémon were the strongest in the region; they’d be able to handle anything… right…?

Taking a deep breath and managing to swallow despite how dry his mouth felt, Ryan followed quietly after them.

They’d gone less than twenty metres before they reached a clearing. From the looks of things it hadn’t always been this wide; the trees around the outside were slashed to pieces, and some of them had uprooted and toppled onto the ground. The forest floor looked trampled, plants and leaves crushed and large chunks of earth torn up. And yet, the only thing Ryan could see in the clearing was a pile of metal.

_No_. That wasn’t just a pile of metal. That was where the strange noise was coming from.

“That’s what the barrier was for? Someone’s old fridge?” Nate joked, the serious attitude fleeting once more. Perhaps he’d picked up on how nervous Ryan was and was trying to lighten the mood.

However, as soon as he spoke, the whirring became louder. It gave way to something more akin to the hum of an engine.

The object in the clearing was _moving_.

Metal creaked and scraped as six poles rose into the air, unfolding and crashing down to pierce the ground below so violently that Ryan felt the earth under him tremble. The body of the collection was lifted slowly into the air, sparks flickering as pieces of metal scraped together. Motors screeched, more appendages unfolding at the front almost like the claws of a Scyther.

Was that thing _alive_?

It was massive, towering at least three metres above the ground, six legs keeping it balanced. Its body was mainly cuboid-shaped, with something that looked like a vent protruding from the top as well as two small poles at the back which appeared to be antennae. Metal was layered on its neck like large scales, leading to a triangular-shaped head.

A yellow light flickered on at the left side of its face like an eye; it looked like there had been one on the other side too, but the glass surrounding it had been smashed.

Ryan had seen that light before – especially in the darkness. It was the same as the lights he’d seen at the Dreamyard. Gears twisted inside the eyes as if it was trying to focus on them.

“And you said there was nothing here,” Nate scoffed, earning him an unamused glance from Lucas. “Still, I’ve never seen a Pokémon like that before!”

At the sound of his voice, the creature let out a fierce, digitalised growl, despite the fact that it didn’t seem to have any visible mouth.

Nate took a step back – clearly even he didn’t fancy getting too close to a creature so large, especially if it was hostile. He looked at Ryan. “Well, you’re the Pokéwhisperer. What’s it saying?”

It took Ryan a moment to process the question. “I-I… it’s not…!”

That wasn’t the voice of a Pokémon. It was a generated noise, brutal and intimidating. He’d certainly never met a creature like that.

There was a loud crack, followed by a buzzing sound. Electricity jumped between the ends of the antennae on the creature’s back, and the metal at the ends started to glow as it heated up. Another computerised growl sounded throughout the clearing.

It was going to attack them.

Lucas had caught on, realising that the electricity was likely offensive. With a warning bark telling them to stay back he jumped forward, paws held close together in front of his chest. A blue light formed between them, quickly gaining in size and seeming to warp the air around it. It took less than a second for the ball of energy to charge, and Lucas lunged forward to throw it at the abomination in front of them.

Dust and smoke erupted all around the clearing. The glow of electricity faded.

_Is it gone…?_ The thing they’d seen at the Dreamyard had fallen after only one attack. The electricity disappearing must have meant that whatever that creature was, it was down for the count.

Or so he thought.

A yowl echoed around as the Lucario was thrown back, hit by the monster’s claws.

“Oh heck—Lucas!” Nate reached out for his Pokémon but wasn’t near enough to catch him. Regardless, Lucas hopped back to his paws in an instant despite the injury. The fighting-type’s tail swished from side to side, and the appendages at the back of his head flared up in irritation at having been hit as he held a paw to his chest.

As for the thing that had hit him – the attack Lucas landed hadn’t even left a dent. The monster’s antennae were beginning to crackle with electricity once more.

Taking the Lucario’s Poké ball from his belt and returning the injured creature, Nate gave a quiet mumble of annoyance. “We should get out of here.”

“What?” At first Ryan’s gaze was one of surprise and slight alarm – but given how much that creature had hurt Lucas, sending anyone else out against it would only be putting more Pokémon in danger. “Okay.”

“No time for thinking; go!”

That sounded more like an order – and rightly so, as the odd creature was likely to finish charging its attack any second. Ryan didn’t have to think twice before turning and racing back through the trees.

Shortly after, a surge of electricity blasted through the clearing and hit the tree behind where they’d been standing, sending sparks shooting up the branches and searing the bark as more roasted leaves fell to dust.

Reminding himself not to look back or he’d trip over something, Ryan kept running. The forest flashed past, green and brown all fusing into one, and he had no idea which way they were even going – hopefully it was back towards the exit. He just wanted to get away from that _thing_.

“I don’t think it’s following us.” The statement was enough to drag him out of his momentary blind panic. Nate had stopped a few metres back, watching the forest behind them and seeming rather out of breath.

Not wanting to end up on his own in this place, Ryan halted, nearly falling as he did so but soon regaining his balance. He tried to keep as still as possible, as if worried something might be watching them. Yet all he could hear was his own ragged breathing and the sound of his heartbeat thundering in his chest. Other than that, silence.

No motors. No scraping metal. If something that big was moving through the forest, they’d definitely be able to hear it.

“Y’know, when I said coming out here might be dangerous? That’s the sorta thing I was talking about,” Nate continued simply, seeming very calm despite what had just happened. “I mean, obviously I didn’t know some kind of heinous creature was gonna be out here, but who knows what we could’ve found? Always be careful when you’re out in the forest. That’s one valuable life lesson learned today.”

Ryan could only blink at him in slight stupor. Was he really not bothered at all by the fierce thing they’d just seen? The champion was even tougher than he’d imagined…

“C’mon. We’re still in the middle of a dark, creepy forest and you look like you’ve just seen a ghost. An actual ghost.” He shrugged. “I’ll at least show you the way back to Route 16.”

“I—thanks…” That was about all Ryan could manage to say for now. He still felt dazed, and his legs were trembling.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, whatever that creature was, it had terrified him.

 

* * *

 

“Bianca’s fine. She’s insisted on going to report to the professor before she returns here, so if she got hurt at all it’s probably not bothering her.”

“That’s good.” Nate breathed a small sigh of relief. “Listen, Cheren, I need you to do me a favour.”

“You actually sound serious for once. That’s rather worrying.” The gym leader raised an eyebrow, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. It was getting late in the day, and after working for so long his eyes were tired and he’d had to take his contacts out. Not being greeted in the call with the nickname of ‘four-eyes’ as per usual told him that something was definitely up. “Alright, what do you want?”

“Make sure people stay away from Lostlorn Forest.”

“Come again?”

“There’s… _something_ in there.” Nate waved his free hand in a ghostly motion.

“Something.” The word was echoed blankly.

“The heck if I know! It was like… I dunno, some hideous cross between a Metang, a Scyther and Kyurem. It wasn’t a real Pokémon, I know that much.” He’d figured that out from the kid. On the way back to the route he’d tried asking again what the Pokémon had been saying; the boy had seemed really shaken up by that encounter, and he’d just said he couldn’t understand it, that it wasn’t a real Pokémon’s voice.

In all honesty, that thing not being a living creature wasn’t too hard to believe. It’d certainly explain why it wasn’t like any Pokémon he’d ever seen before.

“Nate, are you actually being serious, or is this just another of your strange jokes?” Cheren just gave him an unimpressed and rather disbelieving look.

“I _am_ being serious!” The scruffy-haired trainer gave an indignant huff.

“Then why are you asking _me_ to do this?”

 “Cheren, d’you honestly think people are gonna listen to what _I_ say?”

There was a brief silence. Eventually the bespectacled man let out a sigh. “Alright, alright. Maybe one of these days someone will actually manage to beat you in a battle.” Cheren’s voice wasn’t entirely serious, but there was still a strong hint of meaning behind his words.

Nate’s response was a half-hearted laugh, plenty used to the gym leader’s disapproval by now. At least he knew Cheren was always dependable, whether he was happy about the current situation or not. “Maybe.”

 

* * *

 

From the hilliest parts of town, there was certainly an impressive view of the lake, especially as the sun was starting to set. Water shimmered in the fading light and the distant region was silhouetted against the orange-hued sky, too far away to clearly pick out any features.

Ryan was over there now, travelling the region N had once called home. In all honesty, he couldn’t tell whether that gave him a feeling of pride, or a feeling of terror.

If he knew one thing, he could feel the weight of the plastic bag slung over his shoulder pulling at the palm of his hand. He couldn’t use the excuse of having to stay at home and keep an eye on his son to get out of helping Touko do the shopping anymore. Still, maybe that wasn’t all bad. He very rarely went into the main part of town at all, let alone this far up, so it wasn’t often he got to admire the view of the lake like this.

However, there was something else bothering him. He couldn’t tell what it was, but something just seemed… _off_.

“Hey, N! You okay?”

“Hm?” he glanced over his shoulder at the voice to see Touko further along the path, momentarily placing down the bags she was carrying upon noticing that he had stopped. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry.”

“Then hurry up, I wanna get home and make dinner. I’m starving!” she laughed.

N couldn’t help but smile as he walked over, quickening his pace so she wouldn’t have to wait too long for him to catch up. “Me too.”

Perhaps he’d just been thinking too much after all.

 

* * *

 

“Dear Arceus, these supplies seem to get heavier every week! I think I’m getting old.” The red-haired woman sighed, folding her arms and leaning on the edge of the cockpit.

A swan-like creature had been perched on top of the plane, and Skyla would have thought she was guarding it if she didn’t know better; Sylvie was just taking a nap. At her trainer’s words, the bird lifted her head from where she’d been resting it beneath her wing and let out a quiet coo.

The woman chuckled, lifting one hand lazily off the side of the plane. “I suppose forty-three isn’t really all that old. Anyhow, it’s gonna get dark out soon.” Flying at night might provide a nice view of the bright patterns of the cities they passed overhead, but it was more dangerous too, so it’d be better to get back to Mistralton while there was still good visibility. “Whatcha think, Sylvie? Wanna sit in the plane with me or fly?”

Something akin to a chirp rumbling in the bird’s throat, she hopped down from the roof of the plane to the perch behind the seat, reaching back to preen her feathers.

“Alright, plane it is,” Skyla smiled. Sylvie probably just didn’t want to mess up her feathers by flying across the region.

It was that moment in which she noticed something; a rumbling sound, barely audible over the blowing of the wind. Almost instinctively, she cast a glance behind her, past the houses of Lentimas Town and towards the rocks that towered into the sky.

As soon as she did, however, the sound vanished.

“Huh…” she blinked. “Sylvie, did you hear that?”

The Swanna lifted her head, tilted it slightly to one side, and then went back to her grooming session. She didn’t seem to have noticed.

“Hmm. Perhaps I was just imagining things,” Skyla pondered, a slight frown making its way onto her face. Reversal Mountain was a dormant volcano; any activity there would be unexpected, to say the least. “Yeah. Just my imagination.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (antagonist finally shows up after 24 chapters)


	25. Early Mornings

“No—!”

Ryan woke with a start, gasping for breath as he propelled himself into sitting up. The Umbreon curled up on his chest awoke with a yelp of surprise as he was suddenly flung onto the mattress.

Ryan was in his room in the Pokémon Centre. No eyes glaring in the darkness. No computerised screeches. Sunlight shone dimly through the curtains, indicating that it was close to morning already.

_It was just a dream… thank Arceus._

“Sorry, Jay,” he said quietly, reaching over to pet the dark-type. Jay just let out a quiet mumble at his ears being scratched, having already curled up to go back to sleep in the place he’d landed.

Ryan cast a glance over at the clock on the wall. It was only 7:00AM; that was earlier than he usually got up even on a school day, but after that dream he didn’t fancy trying to sleep again. He didn’t want to keep seeing that creature.

After the encounter with that thing yesterday, Nate had showed him the way out of the forest before vanishing somewhere within the trees, having assured him that Lucas would recover from the injury soon enough. The man hadn’t been how Ryan had envisioned the region’s champion at all. Sure, Nate certainly had an air of strength about him, as did his Pokémon. But Ryan had met former champions of Unova before; his mother was one of them, even though she’d only been the champion for less than a year, and he’d met Alder a few times already on his journey. They all seemed pretty nice, and he expected as much from someone with such a strong bond with their Pokémon, but there was something different about Nate. Ryan couldn’t work out what it was, though.

Ryan headed back to Nimbasa City after that, seeking the surroundings of people and real Pokémon after running into the creature in the forest. They’d been to see the musical despite him having doubts that he’d enjoy it, but watching people and Pokémon perform together was actually a rather breath-taking experience. The Pokémon in the show had been especially dedicated to learning their lines despite the fact that people couldn’t understand them; the musical was entertainment for the Pokémon watching it as well. Jay had seemed most interested in the special effects on the stage, and Mariana ran to hide under Ryan’s seat when the bad guy started addressing the audience.

Deciding he might as well get up now that he was awake, Ryan quietly made his way across the room, trying not to disturb any of the sleeping Pokémon. Jay had curled up on the pillow now that it was no longer occupied. There was a sofa in the room as well, half of which was taken up by Axle. Charlotte seemed to have a likening for sleeping on the sofa arms, claiming it was like lying on a really soft tree branch, and somehow she never fell off despite how often she looked in danger of doing so. Mariana preferred to just take one of the cushions and place it on the ground nearby before making herself comfortable there instead.

After closing the bathroom door as silently as he could, it didn’t take long for Ryan to get changed out of his pyjamas and into a new set of clothes. He’d been wearing the old ones far longer than his mother would have allowed him to back at home, and as much as he hated the idea of having to do chores while he was travelling, he was going to have to wash them so he could wear them again soon. Thankfully there were washing machines in the lower floors of the Pokémon Centre, so he wouldn’t have to do it by hand.

Thinking about his mother, however, he soon found himself pulling the hairbrush out of his bag. If there was one thing Ryan hated, it was brushing his hair – and he wasn’t too fond of other people doing it for him either, seeing as how much it hurt when they did. But he had to admit, he was starting to look even scruffier than usual after travelling for more than a week.

A muffled tap at the door caught his attention, and he opened it quietly, met with a concerned-looking Dewott. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could make a sound Ryan placed a finger on his lips, signalling to be silent as he pointed to the sleeping Pokémon with his other hand. Pulling the door open so there was enough room for the creature to slip through, he closed it behind them.

“Sorry, didn’t wanna wake them,” he apologised, trying to keep his voice low. Jay did sometimes have a habit of being grumpy when something woke him – and judging by the death glare Charlotte had thrown him the last time he tried to get her up, he wasn’t the only one.

“You’re up really early,” Mariana pointed out, her gaze fleeting between him and the sink.

“Couldn’t get back to sleep,” Ryan shrugged simply, not wanting to explain his nightmare to the most nervous one of the whole team. Placing the brush aside for now, he carefully lifted her up onto the counter, turning on both taps and putting the plug in the sink.

“Oh, okay.” Seeming to settle for that as a decent enough answer, she crouched down and reached one paw into the water. Being a water-type, Mariana seemed to have developed a fascination for sinks, showers and any other household device that could seemingly make water appear out of nowhere. Once the basin was half full Ryan switched off the taps, leaving the surface to slowly settle until the Pokémon waded into it. She was just the right size to be able to take a bath in the centre sinks as long as the water level wasn’t too high. They’d learnt that one the hard way a few days ago.

Unlike Jay, who’d make a fuss if he tried to wash him, Mariana liked the water and was more than capable of bathing herself, so Ryan left her to it, instead working on trying to get the stubborn knots out of his hair. It wasn’t quite as difficult as he’d expected, and his mother was right; he _did_ feel better when his hair wasn’t a mess. Perhaps he should brush it more often.

“Did you really meet the champion?” the water-type asked when she climbed back onto the counter, dripping water onto it but resisting the urge to shake herself dry. Ryan had gotten soaked the last time she did that.

Grabbing one of the unused towels from the rack on the wall, Ryan handed it to her before pulling out the plug to drain the sink. “Yeah, we saw him out in the forest yesterday.”

“What was he like? Did his Pokémon look really strong?”

“Pretty strong, I guess,” he shrugged. After everything that happened yesterday, the thought of battling Nate had completely left his mind. They had a long way to go if they were going to be able to stand up to the strength of his Pokémon. The league was the ultimate goal of their journey, after all. “And I guess he seemed pretty nice. He’s really… laid-back.”

“He sounds like a good person. I guess that’s why he’s the champion.” Her voice was muffled by the towel as she tried to dry her fur – that was something she still needed practice with. She’d almost got herself tangled up in the fuzzy material. Ryan wondered whether he should help her, but she soon reappeared from the towel looking like a giant ball of fluff. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she swiftly tried to flatten down her ruffled fur.

“He’s been the champion for quite a while. Fifteen years, I think,” Ryan recalled. “That means nobody’s been able to beat him since before I was even born. We’re gonna have to get a lot stronger if we’re going to challenge him.”

 

* * *

 

The gym leader was dragged out of sleep by the sound of knocking on her front door. Very _loud_ knocking. Unless someone was trying to break her door down, there was only one person it could be. It took a lot of effort to groggily drag herself out of bed, casting a quick glance at the mirror before deciding that it probably wasn’t worth spending the time to sort out her bedhead or else the visitor might _actually_ end up breaking down the door. Besides, she knew who it was, and they wouldn’t mind if she looked like her Emolga had tried to style her hair again.

Rubbing at her eyes, she made her way to the front door and yanked it open, fixing the visitor with a fierce glare.

Elesa had never really been a morning person.

Skyla, having been her best friend for over twenty years and partner for a good half of that, was more than used to it. She was used to waking up at the crack of dawn, too. “Elesa! Did you get the message from Cheren?”

“What message?” she mumbled, still half asleep. Granted, she _had_ received a call from the younger gym leader earlier that morning, but she’d just given him some _very_ stern words about calling her at 6:30AM and then hung up. Was she supposed to have waited for an important message? That was his fault for waking her so early.

“Didn’t he give you the message? He said to try and keep people away from Lostlorn Forest. I’d have thought he would have called you first…”

Oops. Maybe that was why he’d called at such a ridiculous time – for Elesa, at least. “Alright, fine. Any reason why?”

“He didn’t say much. Just that there was something dangerous there. And…” Skyla  shuffled her feet. “I think I heard something when I was at Lentimas Town last night. I don’t know if it’s connected or if I was just imagining it, but…”

Elesa let out a tired sigh, opening the door wider. She was still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. “Come in. If we’re going to have a serious conversation at this hour, I need some coffee.”

 

* * *

 

After an hour of doing nothing, Ryan eventually got bored enough to have the motivation for doing laundry, in order to get that task out of the way. Jay had been reluctant to leave his comfy pillow at first, but at the risk of being left behind while everyone else got breakfast, he was soon as energetic as ever.

As they ate, a television on the centre’s wall was displaying the news. The staff turned the sound up slightly so that people would be able to hear the local headlines over the chatter of people and Pokémon.

“Due to instructions from the league, people are advised to avoid the Lostlorn Forest area for safety reasons. No further information has been disclosed to the public.”

Ryan almost choked on his cereal. Was that because of the thing they’d seen there yesterday?

“How do they get those people in that box?” Charlotte questioned.

“It's an image,” Axle muttered from beneath the table. Jay had taken an interest in the larger bowl of food the dragon had after finishing his own breakfast, and the Fraxure let out a warning growl to try and keep him away, pulling the bowl closer to him.

“I’m _hungry_!” the dark-type whined.

“Jay, you only just had breakfast,” Ryan stated, something he seemed to be saying a lot these days.

“He’s just being a baby,” Charlotte tutted, hopping down from the chair she’d been sitting on to reach her own bowl on the table. “Don’t be scared of the big tough dragon.” She swiped a pawful of Axle’s food.

“Hey!” he snapped, trying to swat her away but wasn’t fast enough.

“Now, now, sharing is caring!” she grinned, patting his head with her free paw and earning an irritated snarl as she stuffed the food into her mouth.

Shortly after, they headed back out into the city. Ryan kept Mariana and Axle inside their capsules as they didn’t like the crowds. He knew he could go and challenge the gym, but he had the feeling they weren’t quite ready. All of the gym battles he’d had so far had been incredibly close – was that something training could help, or was that just the way those battles often were?

Either way, he wanted to put off that battle as long as he could for now. At least he knew what type the gym leader was, even if they didn’t have anything to counter it. At the very least, he knew not to make Mariana battle the electric-type Pokémon.

They’d explored and battled trainers on Route 16 yesterday, so the logical thing today would be to head the opposite way, to Route 5. It looked quite similar to the other route, both sides lined with forest and grass where there would likely be a plentiful of wild Pokémon. A few shop-style caravans were set up at the side of the road, some selling various trinkets and others with a banquet of baked food on display. Street performers played further down the street, almost drowning out the beeping of a reversing garbage truck nearby.

“Eww, it stinks here!” Jay pawed at his nose, as if that was supposed to solve the problem.

_At least it’ll stop him from smelling the food and getting hungry again,_ Ryan thought silently. “Don’t worry, Jay, they’ll be gone soon.” The refuge collectors had just come to do as their namesake, collecting the bags which had been left behind the caravans. “Some of the people watching the performances might be trainers. Maybe we can battle them when they’re done.”

“Yay! Battles!” Needless to say, Jay’s attitude could certainly change quickly.

Charlotte glanced behind her as they walked along. “Hey, Ryan? Why are they putting that Pokémon in the truck?”

“Huh?” He followed her glance. One of the refuge collectors was walking across the path, carrying another bag and preparing to throw it into the back of the garbage truck.

Except, this bag looked slightly different from the others. At first glance, it seemed like it was torn in a few places, but now that he looked, that wasn’t the contents spilling out the sides – those were _arms_.

That wasn’t an ordinary bag of trash. If he didn’t do something, it was going to get crushed in the back of the van!

“Wait, _stop_!” he shouted, startling Jay as he ran towards the man. “That’s not garbage! That’s a Pokémon!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elesa and Skyla are girlfriends now. I'm not going to add this to the tags though since iirc this is the only scene they share in the entire story... disappointing.


	26. Cleanliness

The uniform-clad man glanced around at the shout, not even realising it was aimed at him until he heard mention of the bag in his arms. Seeing the boy racing towards him, he tilted his head to the side.

“A Pokémon? What’re ya talking about, kid?”

Within speaking distance, Ryan took a moment to catch his breath, safe in the knowledge that the creature was no longer in immediate danger. “That… the bag you’re carrying. It's a Trubbish.”

“What?” The man raised an eyebrow, looking down at the object in his arms – then almost dropping it in surprise. “Dear Arceus, you’re right! Err—is this your Pokémon?”

Ryan shook his head. He couldn’t tell if the creature was wild or not just by looking at it, but it didn’t look in the best shape, that was for certain. Given how awkward and worried the man looked at having the poison-type in his arms, Ryan reached out his own, silently asking him to hand it over.

“… You sure you want to hold this thing? It could be wild – and it smells like something out the back of—” He cut off his own sentence at the glare the boy shot him. “Alright, alright.”

The Pokémon was placed in Ryan’s arms – which probably meant he would have to make another trip to the laundrette later to wash his clothes again, but if that was the only thing standing in the way of helping a Pokémon then so be it. He’d never actually held a Trubbish before, but it was heavier than he expected, weighing more than the average garbage bag. “How could you mistake this for a bag of trash!?” he snapped.

The refuge collector took a step back, looking slightly nervous despite the fact that the person scolding him was only twelve years old. “Ah, I—it’s only my second day on the job, see,” he replied hastily, holding his hands up in defence. He nearly attempted to scratch his neck before fortunately remembering he’d been handling landfill waste. “Although it did seem a little heavy. I’ll remember to check from now on, alright?”

Satisfied with that response, Ryan nodded. Given how startled the man had looked to find out he’d actually been holding a living being, Ryan had the feeling he was going to keep his word.

Letting him get back to his job and hoping that there weren’t any more Trubbish mixed in with the piles of bags they were throwing away, Ryan looked to the one in his arms. It was out cold and looked a little beaten up, but it didn’t appear to have any serious injuries, at least.

“Is that a Pokémon?” Jay asked, placing his front paws against Ryan’s leg as he reached up to sniff at the creature – and immediately regretting doing so, scrambling back and wrinkling his nose at the stench.

“Yeah, it is.” The boy glanced around, eventually spotting the path that led away from the main part of the route and out into the forest. Since this was probably a wild Pokémon – and in no serious immediate danger – they might as well take it back out there where it was safe from any other people making the same mistake as that man had done.

Once they were far enough into the forest that they could barely hear the performers’ music, Ryan set the poison-type down near one of the trees. He quickly wiped his hands on the grass before delving into his backpack. He probably had a potion in here somewhere.

“I say we just leave it here. It kinda stinks,” Charlotte muttered, wafting the air with one paw for emphasis.

“Char!” Ryan huffed. “It’s still a Pokémon; we can’t just leave it here. It's injured.”

“Okay, okay, geez.” She rolled her eyes. “Not my fault if some of us have more sensitive noses than humans.”

Ignoring the Mienfoo’s complaints, Ryan eventually found a potion, spraying the poison-type’s injuries with it. Whatever had happened to it, there didn’t appear to be anything worse than a couple of bruises.

As he stuffed the empty bottle back into his bag to dispose of later, Jay nudged his arm with one paw. The Umbreon pointed back over at the creature in response to a confused glance. “It's waking up!”

“Oh…!” Sure enough, the Trubbish’s arms twitched. Its eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times to get back in focus. Then they opened wide in alarm.

“Ah! Human—!” It took a few wobbly steps back, almost toppling over but saved by the tree behind it.

“Wait, it’s okay!” Ryan insisted hastily, holding his hands up as if to show that he was unarmed. “We’re friends; we won’t hurt you.”

“Since when did we become friends with this thing?” Charlotte questioned, a deadpan expression on her face.

“All Pokémon are friends.”

“Oh. And here I thought I was special.” There was an edge of sarcasm to her voice.

“You are. You guys are best friends,” he smiled, reaching over to ruffle her ears.

She didn’t seem opposed to the show of affection, but she still tried to swat his hand away. “Thanks, but now you’ve made me stink too.”

The Trubbish continued to watch them, wide-eyed. “I’ve never… seen a human understand a Pokémon before.” He cautiously took a step forward. “Are you magic?”

Ryan couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t think so. It probably just runs in the family.” He had to smile as he saw just how amazed the creature looked. That smile soon faded, however, as he remembered the reason why they’d met in the first place. “What happened to you? You nearly got thrown in the back of a garbage truck!”

“Oh, oh, and we saved you!” Jay added proudly, even though he hadn’t really helped at all.

“I did? And you did? Oh, thank you!” the poison-type smiled gratefully. “Sorry, it happens quite a lot – although usually I wake up before the people get there.”

“You fell asleep in a pile of garbage?” Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Oh—no, no, I didn’t fall asleep. That would be kind of a silly place to take a nap, wouldn’t it?” he said sheepishly. “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine now thanks to you, so thank you again!”

“Did someone hurt you?” Ryan pressed, unable to just drop the issue. He couldn’t have got those injuries just from being picked up by someone. Still, there were other things people could have done. “Was it someone trying to catch you?”

“Ah… no, people don’t try and catch me.” The Trubbish responded slightly quieter, nudging at a pebble on the ground in front of him. “It’s not a big deal, really.”

“It is if someone hurt you.”

“FYI, he’s probably not gonna drop the subject until you explain what happened,” Charlotte commented nonchalantly.

“Oh, it’s really nothing serious,” he nodded. “I was just trying to make friends with the Minccino again is all. They… didn’t really appreciate it.”

“They attacked you for trying to be friends?” Jay echoed. “They sound mean! Who doesn’t want friends?”

“Someone who actually likes the smell of fresh air,” Char muttered under her breath.

“Would you like us to talk to them for you?” Ryan offered, ignoring the comments of his Pokémon. “It might help.”

“It might,” the Trubbish shrugged, yet a smile still appeared on his face. “You’re welcome to try. You’d really do that for me?”

Ryan nodded.

“Wow!” he beamed. “I think you must be the nicest human I have ever met!”

 

* * *

 

The poison-type led them slightly further into the forest, seeming to know well enough where he was going. Whatever injuries the creatures had given him didn’t seem to be bothering him much, although Ryan couldn’t tell if it was because they weren’t serious or because it was something he was used to. Hopefully it was just the former.

“Just a bit further ahead,” the Trubbish said eventually, pointing to the clearing in front of them. “If I go any closer to their home, they usually attack me.”

“These Minccino sure sound charming,” Charlotte muttered, hopping up onto a nearby branch to look around. “Speak of the devil…”

There were a couple of the grey fluffy creatures just a few metres ahead. One of them was curled up, ears twitching occasionally and letting out a quiet yawn. The other was brushing its tail over the ground as if trying to clean the area. Perhaps this was the place where they liked to hang out.

“Okay. I’ll see if I can talk to them; they seem nice enough.” Ryan stepped forwards.

“Be careful!” the Trubbish called, trying to keep his voice hushed.

The other Pokémon followed Ryan, Jay remaining by his side and Charlotte just seeming eager to be away from the poison-type for now. As soon as they reached the clearing, both Minccino looked up.

One let out a squeak of surprise. “Eek! Human!”

“Quick, act cute and maybe it won’t attack us!”

“Wait, wait,” Ryan sighed as both creatures gave their best Lillipup eyes. “We’re not going to attack you. We just came here to talk.”

The two normal-types exchanged a glance. “A human wants to talk to us?”

“Can it do that?”

“Yes, I can. Special human,” he shrugged, figuring that the best way to explain to the Pokémon. “We have a friend who wants to be friends with you, but when he tried you just hurt him.”

“And that’s mean!” Jay added, holding his head high with a quiet huff. The Umbreon wasn’t exactly the best at disciplining others.

“Who are you talking about?” the male Minccino asked, blinking innocently. He lent to the side slightly, looking past Ryan to see the Trubbish watching from the safety of the trees. “Oh, him. Why would we want to be friends with a Trubbish?”

“He ruins our home with his smell!” the female tutted, holding her nose in the air and flicking her tail. “And he won’t go away!”

“He just wants to be friends,” Ryan persisted. “Isn’t it good to have friends?”

“Not when they smell like something that came out the back of a Liepard!”

“But Liepard poop smells nothing like that,” Jay pointed out, looking confused.

“Jay, you’re not helping.” Ryan rolled his eyes before looking back to the Minccino. “All I’m saying is, can you at least stop attacking him? This is his home too.”

“Yeah, and that’s not fair! We have to put up with that stink every day!” the male complained, nose twitching in disgust. His tail flicked and he stepped forwards as if he was about to attack. “Go away! You’re making the place dirty by bringing him here!”

“Looks like we gotta do this the hard way,” Charlotte shrugged. She hopped forwards towards the Minccino, one paw raised and glowing slightly as she prepared to unleash a force palm attack. “Don’t you little rats even think about laying a fur on my trainer!”

Both creatures let out a squeal of fear at the incoming fighting-type attack. The male scrambled backwards while the female remained frozen to the spot, staring at Char with wide eyes.

Ryan was about to try and stop her, but much to his surprise, Charlotte hesitated at the sight of the chinchilla. Slowly she lowered her paw, the glow fading as she cleared her throat and stepped back.

“You see, that was a great example of how violence doesn’t solve everything.”

As she stepped back towards him, Ryan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. The Mienfoo looked up at him. “What?”

“Nothing,” he shook his head, the faintest trace of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. _I guess cute charm works even on Charlotte._

The Minccino had dropped the cute act as soon as she realised Char no longer planned on attacking. She swept her tail across the ground, flicking dirt in their direction. “Please leave. You’re in our territory.”

The Umbreon moved to take a step forwards, ears flattening against his neck as he prepared for a possible battle. “Wait, Jay,” Ryan warned, holding out one hand to signal him to stop. “They’re just wild Pokémon; there’s no need to attack them, even if we can’t talk any sense into them.”

“We’re not the ones who need sense,” the male chinchilla huffed, casting a glare at the poison-type from across the clearing.

“C’mon, let’s go.” Ryan turned to walk away, praying to Arceus that his Pokémon would follow him.

“You guys are _mean_!” Jay chided, flicking his tail childishly as he hurried after his trainer.

“Wow. You really told them,” Charlotte said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

 

* * *

 

“Sorry. I wasn’t really much help,” Ryan apologised once they were away from the Minccino. He could see the people on the route from here, clapping and cheering for the street performers.

“That’s okay. You tried; that’s more than anyone else has done,” the Trubbish said earnestly, giving a half-hearted smile. “And I appreciate your effort, mister human.”

“Call me Ryan,” he smiled. “And you’re welcome.” _Although I wish I could have actually done something._

He glanced back towards the route once more. The sun was high in the sky, so it must have been at least midday by now, and the performers were stopping for their lunch break. Perhaps they could see if they or any of the onlookers were willing to battle before the show started up once more.

On the other hand, he didn’t want to leave here knowing this Pokémon could be in danger just for staying in his own home. It could be lonely when the others who lived nearby didn’t like you; Ryan knew that much.

He gave a thoughtful look towards the Trubbish. “Y’know, if you want… you could come with us.”

“What?” Charlotte gaped. “Oh, great, yeah, just what we needed.”

Her comment once again went unnoticed. The Trubbish was just looking up at Ryan, wide-eyed. “You… you mean it? I could go with you guys?”

Ryan shrugged. “If you want to.”

“A-as in… be caught? Like, a trainer’s Pokémon? I could learn how to fight?” His eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Well… if you want to,” Ryan repeated, although the creature’s smile was infectious.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Charlotte interrupted.

He glanced back at the fighting-type. “What did you want to say?”

She opened her mouth, raising one paw as if she was about to try and make a point. Yet casting a sideways glance at the poison-type, she seemed to decide that if she did say any complaint about him going with them, it’d just sound like a straight-up insult. Charlotte may not have been the most welcoming, but she wasn’t completely cold-hearted either. “Eh, nothing. Your choice, o’ training one.”

Ryan could tell that she wasn’t completely happy about the situation, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. Wasn’t a Pokémon’s safety more important than another just having to put up with a bad smell?

“Does this mean he’s travelling with us?” Jay interrupted, bringing the mood back up slightly. The Umbreon hopped around, not seeming the least bit concerned about their new friend’s… odour issues, and more excited about the fact that they had a new travel companion. “Yay! Oh! Oh! What’s your name?” He finally stopped jumping, coming to a halt in front of the Trubbish.

The creature just looked up at him in surprise. “My… name? I don’t think I have one …”

“But you need a name! What are we gonna call you otherwise?” Jay insisted.

“Well… what are names like? How do I get a name?”

“You just choose one! Or… um…” the dark-type paused, turning to look up at the boy with a confused expression once more. “Where _do_ names come from?”

Ryan stifled a laugh; it was definitely like Jay to ask something like that. “Well, for people, most are named by their parents. For Pokémon, I think it’s a little different. Trainers usually give their Pokémon new names, but that’s because they wouldn’t be able to find out what their names were in the first place…” He hummed quietly, a few thoughts crossing his mind on what to do in this situation. “But we could find a name for you. What kind of things do you like?”

“Hmm…” the Trubbish looked around thoughtfully. “Well, I guess I like the forest… oh, but there was something really cool…! A while back I saw some of the people who visit the route gathered around this one human, and he was holding some metal over a fire and bending it into all kinds of shapes! It’s probably not that interesting really, but I thought it looked really amazing.”

Ryan listened to the explanation with a smile. Poison-types couldn’t even harm steel-types with their same-type attacks, so it was no wonder that this Trubbish thought someone bending metal was so fascinating. “Well, we have a name for people who work with metal; I think they’re called smiths.”

“Smith?” the creature echoed. “I like the sound of that. Is that a good name?”

“It’s as good as any,” Ryan nodded. “Welcome to the team, Smith!”

 

* * *

 

It seemed Smith had watched plenty of other Pokémon get captured by humans before, as he’d known exactly what a Poké ball was and the gist of what it did. After assigning him to his own capsule, the group had gone in search of trainers on the route, to battle in preparation for the next gym challenge. They’d trained hard by now, and Ryan decided that they might be ready to go and check the place out the next day.

Now, after enjoying a meal from the food stands out on Route 5 and with the sun starting to set, they headed back to the city. The streets were quieter at this time of day, most of the noise coming from the sports stadiums. A sudden racket picked up as they walked past, signalling that one team had scored a goal.

Smith gazed around at the city with gleaming eyes, observing everything they passed, even down to the tiniest plant growing through cracks in the sidewalk. This was his first time going into the city, and he seemed to be enjoying the experience. Jay, meanwhile, looked just about ready to drop, eyelids drooping as if he wanted to go to sleep right then and there. Even so, he’d insisted – with a yawn – that he wasn’t tired.

As they neared the Pokémon Centre, Ryan noticed a figure walking towards it from the other direction, with a Magnezone hovering not far behind them. A small creature padded daintily along at their side, forked tail swaying as it walked.

_That looks like an Espeon,_ Ryan thought silently. As he looked up at the person once more – who still hadn’t noticed him – the realisation fell into place. “Jeremy?”

“Hm?” the man had been looking at something on his phone, but glanced up at the sound of his name, pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. “Who are—oh, you’re that kid. The one who understands Pokémon. Ryan, right?”

He nodded, quietly glad that someone had actually remembered his name right for once. Although, he wasn’t sure whether he was glad to see this guy again or not, considering what had happened the last time they met. Yet that hadn’t really been his fault, and he wasn’t going to blame Espeon for it…

“I see your Eevee evolved,” Jeremy commented simply, casting a glance at the Umbreon who was currently trying to hide behind Ryan’s legs – apparently Jay remembered their last encounter as well. As the man’s gaze drifted to the other Pokémon beside Ryan, he frowned. “I hope you weren’t intending on bringing that thing into the Pokémon Centre.”

Ryan followed his glance, eyes widening in surprise when he noticed he was looking at Smith. “Why?” he snapped, prepared to defend the creature if need be.

“Because it’s a Trubbish. They’re not exactly known for their great fragrance,” he stated, delving into the pockets of his jacket and pulling out a Poké ball. “And don’t look at me like that; Pokémon Centre rules, not mine. They won’t be too happy if you take a Trubbish into the place. They don’t like Magnezone being released in there either. Its magnets can interrupt the communications of the machines in there, including the medical equipment used to treat injured Pokémon.”

As the electric-type was drawn back into its capsule, Ryan just watched silently. What he was saying _did_ make sense, more so about the issue with Magnezone. That didn’t mean he thought it was fair, though.

“Just put it back in its Poké ball before you go in. If there’s someone you don’t want to make angry, it’s the people who are offering you a free place to stay for the night,” Jeremy shrugged. “They might have let you off though, since you’re an inexperienced trainer.”

“My Pokémon are stronger than when we battled before!” Ryan protested. “Jay’s an Umbreon now; psychic attacks can’t even hurt him.”

“Maybe so, but there’s a lot more to battling than type matchup. Perhaps we’ll battle again someday.” With that said, he put the phone and capsule back into his pockets and walked onto the mat in front of the centre, causing the doors to slide open automatically.

Espeon lingered for a moment longer, watching the dark-type who was glaring at her from the safety of behind his trainer. “I apologise for hurting you, young one. It’d be nice to battle again, once you are stronger.”

Jay’s ears twitched in surprise, but he didn’t say anything in response as the psychic-type slipped through the closing door after her trainer.


	27. A Tough Act to Follow

“A… Trubbish?”

“Yep!” Ryan tried to keep his voice cheery despite the tone of disapproval in his mother’s voice.  This was _his_ journey; it was up to him what Pokémon he let travel with him, not her -- but he didn’t dare say that out loud. He didn’t want to start an argument with his mother that might make her regret letting him travel.

“Well, uh… your choice, I suppose,” Touko said after a short pause. She was either accepting of that fact or pressured by the risk of offending N. He wouldn’t be happy hearing discrimination against any type of Pokémon just for being what they were. Ryan had witnessed him snap at a couple of trainers one time when a Garbodor had wandered into the forest back at home; they had made some rude comments about the creature, and with Ryan being only seven at the time, seeing his father so mad had actually been a rather terrifying sight.

“He wanted to travel with us,” Ryan added. “His name is Smith!”

“Well, I’m glad to hear you’re making friends,” Touko said, an affectionate smile on her face despite the fact that he couldn’t see her over the phone. “You take care, okay, sweetie? And good luck in your gym challenge tomorrow!”

“Thanks, Mum,” he replied. “Speak to you soon.”

As the call was ended, he looked over at the capsules on the side table. It still seemed unfair, how he was only allowed to release four of them and the other would have to remain in a Poké ball all night. Smith had assured that he didn’t mind, but even so, that didn’t make it fair.

Although, there wasn’t really anything he could do about it.

For now he’d let the others out. Mariana and Axle hadn’t even met the new addition to their team yet. He’d have to introduce them tomorrow, before they went to the gym.

 

* * *

 

After breakfast the next day, and having picked up one of the tourist leaflets from the Pokémon Centre before setting out, Ryan managed to navigate the city to find out where their destination was.  A few streets from the gym there was a small patch of grass, just off the main path, and that seemed like a good enough place to release his Pokémon for now.

Seeing as the clearing was rather small, and the fact that they’d already met their new team member, Ryan left Jay and Charlotte inside their Poké balls, sending out the other three.

“Okay, guys,” he started, hoping that there wouldn’t be any more complaints – he was more worried about Axle than Mariana, especially as the dragon had only agreed to travel with them to increase the chances of finding his friend. “This is Smith. He’s joined our team.”

“Hi!” the Trubbish waved happily. He seemed pleased at the fact that he was making so many new friends as of late.

Axle didn’t give any kind of response at first, just watching the creature with a guarded look.

“Um… hello,” Mariana said quietly, taking a few nervous steps forward. Her whiskers twitched at the smell of the creature, but she didn’t comment.

Smith smiled brightly. “It’s nice to meet you! Are you Mariana? And… Axle?” Ryan had told him the names of the other Pokémon before they arrived at the centre yesterday.

The Dewott nodded, casting a glance behind her.

“I feel like a celebrity,” Axle muttered, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“Ryan told me about you guys. It’s nice to meet you too, mister Axle!” Unlike the dragon, Smith was being completely genuine, obviously not having picked up on the tone.

“The gym isn’t far away,” Ryan explained. “It’s an electric-type gym, so Mariana, you can sit this one out.” He noticed the water-type let out a small sigh of relief. “Axle, has your wound healed enough to battle yet? You’re the only one who won’t take much damage from electricity.”

“My—oh,” the dragon glanced at his side, as if he’d forgotten he even had the injury in the first place. “It’s fine; the scales are growing back. You worry too much.”

“That’s because you’re my friend,” Ryan countered simply, patting the dragon’s head with a smile. “Friends look out for each other.”

Axle just gave a grumble in response, looking slightly embarrassed at the show of affection.

 

* * *

 

“Whoa…”

By following the map in the leaflet, Ryan had finally arrived outside the Nimbasa City gym. This gym was only running for a few hours at a time each day, and he didn’t really known what to expect. He definitely hadn’t envisioned it to look quite like this.

A massive circus tent was pitched on a large patch of grass, which looked slightly out of place in the middle of the city. For a moment Ryan wondered if he’d even come to the right place or if he’d misread the map, but the sign outside was enough to prove it.

_Nimbasa City Pokémon Gym_

_Leader: Elesa_

_“The Shining Beauty”_

Well, this was definitely the gym. Was he supposed to just walk inside…?

He’d returned his Pokémon to their capsules already because of how crowded the city was, so Ryan was alone as he approached the door of the tent. The whole thing was giant, wider than some of the buildings around here and at least half as tall, decorated with eye-catching golden and red colours.

Rolling the material aside to look through, there was a short hallway before another door. A man, presumably the gym guide, was standing in front of it, and he was certainly wearing rather… _interesting_ attire. Short curly hair had been dyed a multitude of colours, and he was dressed in a pair of baggy overalls. A plastic flower was attached to one of the braces, and the end of his nose had been painted red.

As the man noticed him enter, he held one hand up in a wave, a bright grin on his face. “Ah, might you be a challenger? Quit clowning around and come into the gym!” he beamed, laughing at his own joke. “Get it? _Clowning_ around?”

“Yeah, I… get it,” Ryan wanted to cringe at the terrible joke, but he couldn’t help but smile.

“Anyway, all jokes aside, how many gym badges do you have so far, lad?”

“Three, so far.”

“Ah, perfect! Then hopefully you’ll be strong enough to face Miss Elesa. Although, you’ll have a few challenges first before you get to battle her!” he winked, holding out a bottle of fresh water. “Take this with you as well. Even if you don’t use it here, it’s good to stay hydrated!”

“Thank you,” Ryan nodded, as the man pulled the second door aside to let him through.

And as he entered the main part of the gym – well, it certainly was a spectacle.

The dome of the circus tent seemed even larger inside, triangular shapes arching to a point on the ceiling high above and transparent tubes running along the margins of them, electricity coursing through every pipe and creating a glorious pattern of light. The borders of the tent were lined with step-like rows of seats, protected by a wire mesh which was easy to see through but would absorb any electric-type attacks that hit it. Dozens of people of all ages were seated there. In a city like Nimbasa, even the gym challenges were a tourist attraction.

Suddenly Ryan wondered whether using Axle as his main Pokémon in the battle would be such a good idea, with all these people around…

“And now, ladies and gentlemen!” a voice sounded over a loudspeaker; a woman’s voice. “I hope you’re all sitting comfortably, because the show is about to begin!”

A round of applause ran through the audience. A spotlight shone down from the roof of the tent, lighting up the area where he was standing.

So many people watching him… Ryan didn’t like being the centre of attention. Especially with such a big crowd…

Another light flickered on, aimed at the other side of the room as someone walked in from backstage. It was a rather burly-looking man in a flashy outfit. As he reached the centre of the room, he held out something that looked like a whip.

_What on earth is that for!?_

“Our first act! I hope you’re feeling brave – and don’t worry, no Pokémon were harmed in the making of this act!” Whoever was announcing this show clearly could see him and had noticed his slightly horrified expression.  “Gerald, the Pokémon tamer!”

“I’m your first challenge if you’re aiming to battle Elesa!” Gerald stated, tapping the display whip against his hand before holding it up into the air. Thank Arceus it didn’t look like he actually used it on anything. “Leo, here!”

Pawsteps thudded on the ground, and a moment later a Luxray bounded over to him, letting out a fierce roar. The sound then softened to a purr as the man petted its head. The gasps which had echoed around the audience a moment prior soon faded, a few even replaced with a quiet ‘ _aww’_.

“If you are prepared, challenger, send out your Pokémon,” the man commanded as the spotlights faded, replaced with low-set lights shining in from the contours of the arena. Elesa had certainly given this place a great atmosphere.

The question was, who was he supposed to send out to fight this thing? He didn’t want to release Axle just yet, especially with all these people around.

“Jay!” He seemed like a good choice, considering how strong the Luxray looked.

The Umbreon landed in front of him, glancing around in awe at the surroundings. “Why don’t all human places look as cool as this?”

“Admire the view later; gym trainer battle.”

“Oh! Oh! Battle, right!”

As soon as he was ready, Gerald pointed towards them. “Leo, charge!”

The Luxray growled quietly, electricity gathering in his fur. Instead of making a run for the opponent, he was charging energy for the next attack.

This beast was definitely powerful, but perhaps Jay could use that to his advantage. “Screech!”

Jay wasn’t the quietest of Pokémon, so it was no surprise really when he’d learnt this move a short while ago. The Umbreon lifted his head, letting out a high-pitched wail that reverberated around the nearby area. Leo backed away, ears folding back against his head as he tried to block out the sound.

“Ignore it, Leo! Spark!”

Baring his teeth and bringing forth the energy he’d saved, the Luxray charged forwards.

“Confuse ray!”

Yellow orbs of light forming around him, Jay fired them towards the electric-type. They shattered on contact and didn’t do any physical damage to the creature, but Leo slowed his pace slightly as he blinked in surprise and confusion – although it didn’t hold him back for long. He lunged forwards.

Leo’s path changed, however. He leapt into the air, crashing down on empty space a few feet away from Jay. The Luxray stumbled and fell, snarling as he hit the ground. Confusion had made him see things.

“Up and use spark again! Focus!”

The electric-type climbed unsteadily back to his paws at the trainer’s command, looking around for his opponent. This time his eyes set on Jay, and he sped towards him once more, fur sparking with electricity.

The Umbreon wouldn’t have been able to dodge the attack even if he’d actually made an attempt to. Yet Jay was strong, capable of withstanding it even as the force of the creature threw him back half a metre. He managed to stand up just a few moments later, thankfully none of the electricity remaining to paralyse him.

“Payback!”

Having already taken some damage from the missed attack earlier and with defences lowered, Leo didn’t stand a chance. The power he’d used was turned against him as Jay fought back, and soon Leo had fallen to the ground, out of energy to fight.

A brief silence hung in the air; then the crowd exploded into applause.

“The challenger has won their first battle!” the announcer cheered. “Let’s see if they can keep up this winning streak to reach the gym leader!”

 

* * *

 

The Nimbasa Gym certainly had the air of a real circus; the next challenger, or ‘act’ as they’d been referred to, was a juggler, expertly tossing three Poké balls as he made his way on stage. Even after sending out his first Pokémon, he continued juggling – thankfully the Pokémon he fought with looked fine, so tossing the capsules wasn’t having any effect on the creatures inside. When he sent out his final Pokémon, an Electabuzz, he’d pulled out a couple of traditional juggling balls and the two of them put on a small performance together at a pause in the battle, which had definitely impressed the audience, if their cheering was anything to go by.

Ryan fought that battle with Jay and Smith; he felt more relieved than anything that the audience hadn’t made a negative reaction to the poison-type.

When the final ‘act’ before the gym leader had been announced, Ryan wasn’t really sure what to think. An acrobat had swung onto the stage from high above, landing on the pedestal at one end of a long tightrope. Then she’d pointed to the far side, where the spotlight had been shining.

And that was how he’d ended up on a very high platform.

The battle would have seemed a lot more dangerous if it wasn’t for the large net that hung not far below the rope. Ryan figured that if they were to stand a chance in this battle it’d be helpful to use someone who could at least balance on the rope, so he’d sent out Charlotte. Her balancing skills were somewhat impressive, but not quite as good as the Jolteon belonging to the opposing trainer, who’d clearly had a lot of practice. Still, they managed to win the battle; that was the main thing.

“And now, we have a brief intermission. But don’t go anywhere; the show must go on!”

Ryan had never felt so glad to be at ground level. He was surprised the audience had been able to see the battle when they were so high up in the air. Now that the gym trainer battles were over, the arena had gone dark, most of the lights centred on the audience instead.

It was a moment for them to rest before fighting the gym leader; that must have been what the intermission was for. Right now seemed like a good opportunity to find out whether Axle was willing to fight in front of such a crowd.

Wincing slightly at the flash of light created by letting the Pokémon out, Ryan released him in a clear space in the arena. Once he was out in the open, Axle glanced around at the audience with wide eyes, a quiet growl rumbling in his throat.

“What are they all _doing_?”

“They’re just here to watch the gym battle,” Ryan assured. “Nimbasa is full of tourist attractions, and that includes the gym.”

“As long as _all_ they do is watch,” the dragon mumbled. He seemed to have relaxed a little, knowing the people wouldn’t go near him.

For a few minutes, nothing happened. The people in the audience chatted amongst themselves; the vast majority of them had probably been here before and knew what was going to happen next. A while after the water had been shared around Ryan’s tired Pokémon, the spotlights appeared once more – not on him this time, but creating a path from the backstage door to the centre of the ring.  Immediately the audience fell silent in anticipation.

As soon as someone stepped out into the row of spotlights, a loud applause and cheering broke out.

A golden-rimmed red ringmaster’s outfit sparkled in the spotlights as the woman marched along the illuminated path with a catwalk-perfected stride. Short black hair was framed by a pair of stylish headphones which matched the colour of her outfit, and a small top hat was attached to the headband. Ribbons tied to the sides of the headphones trailed behind her as she walked, decorated with colourful lightning-bolt shapes similar to the end of a Raichu’s tail.

“Well done for getting this far, challenger,” she beamed; that was the same voice as the person who’d been announcing over the loudspeaker a few minutes ago. This must be the gym leader, Elesa.

She carried a red- and yellow-striped cane, and as she held it horizontally up in the air with both hands the audience gradually fell silent. There was a happy chirp from somewhere off-stage, and an Emolga glided in from the shadows, flying over to land expertly on the centre of the cane.

“I hope you’re prepared,” Elesa announced, holding the makeshift perch in front of her as the creature eyed the opposition, “because it’s time to begin the final act!”


	28. The Shining Beauty

The audience was silent, waiting in anticipation for the battle to begin. The spotlights faded into darkness, and the lights around the arena flickered on to give a better view of the fight.

Axle stepped forward, watching the Emolga through narrowed eyes. His scales glinted in the lights. He certainly looked ready for this gym battle.

Sensing that the fighting was about to start, the Emolga hopped from her perch, opening out her wings to glide slowly around the arena. Elesa was watching the challenger, waiting for him to call his first move.

No point wasting any more time; Ryan just hoped they’d trained enough for this battle. This was also the first time he’d had a battle with so many people watching… “Axle, dragon claw!”

Axle focused on the moving creature, claws shining an odd colour in the unnatural light. As she floated down lower to the ground and within reach, he charged forward, preparing to attack.

“Now, Glenna, volt switch!”

With a cheeky grin on her face, the Emolga sent a jolt of electricity at the dragon – enough to force him to stop, snarling as the current passed through his scales, but with them to protect him it didn’t do much damage. However, the moment the squirrel let out the attack, she vanished in a flash of red light.

_Volt switch sends a Pokémon back to its Poké ball?_ Ryan’s eyebrows rose. Axle looked surprised as well as there was another flash and a Galvantula landed lightly in front of them.

“Try and keep up, or you’ll be left dazzled!” Elesa grinned; the statement sent a ripple of cheer throughout the audience.

Was that Elesa’s battle strategy? Switching her Pokémon to confuse him? At least Axle wouldn’t take much damage from the electric-type attack. “Axle, don’t give up just because the Pokémon changed! She’s trying to confuse you!”

With a brief glance back at his trainer, the dragon gave a small nod. After that switch, the Galvantula was right in front of him; it couldn’t get away fast enough, claws slashing across its body as it backed away with a hiss.

“Dragon claw, again!”

“Gavin, volt switch!”

The swipe missed as the spider vanished with a wave of electricity and a flash of light, just as Glenna had done before. The Emolga appeared in the air once again, gliding in a circle around Axle and letting out a cheeky squeak.

Glenna soon had the smirk wiped off her face as the dragon’s attack finally connected, causing a small explosion of electricity. With a squeal of surprise the electric squirrel was flung backwards, smacking into and tumbling across the ground before eventually coming to a rest at the foot of one of the ladders.

Gasps echoed through the audience, and even Ryan found himself holding his breath. Was the Pokémon okay?

The brief moment of silence seemed to last for an age; then Glenna’s tail twitched, and the Emolga blinked open her eyes slowly. She didn’t seem too seriously injured, but there was no way she’d be able to keep fighting.

“Oh, Glenna!” Elesa gasped. “Return and rest, darling. You put on an amazing show today!”

As the Emolga was drawn back into her Poké ball, another round of cheer went through the crowd. They didn’t seem to be directing their support to one side over the other; they were just enjoying watching the battle.

“Well done, Axle,” Ryan said quietly, a smile on his face. The dragon-type only gave a grunt in response, but Ryan didn’t miss the slight spark of pride in his eyes. It seemed Axle enjoyed battling alongside him after all.

Another red flash and the Galvantula was back once more. Burgh had battled him with three Pokémon; surely Elesa had at least one more Pokémon she hadn’t used yet as well. Still, despite the gym leader’s switching technique, attacking with Axle’s strongest move seemed to be working out well so far; they’d already defeated one of her Pokémon. “Keep using dragon claw.”

Axle was about to charge forward to attack the electric-type, but he hesitated. His lips drew back in a snarl. He almost seemed routed to the spot.

_What’s wrong with him?_ It was then that Ryan noticed a few sparks of electricity still snaking through his scales. _Oh no, he’s been paralysed—!_ It must have happened when he attacked the Emolga. And now he couldn’t move to attack – or to avoid getting hurt by anything Gavin might throw at him.

“Volt switch!”

It seemed the spider wasn’t sticking around for long either. Axle let out a roar of pain and frustration as he was hit by the electricity once more, unable to fight back or even move from the spot.

A flash of light and a shriek of a battle cry and the gym leader’s final Pokémon was revealed. Hooves made an echoing _clack_ as it landed, mane sparking with electricity. A loud cheer reverberated around the room and the Zebstrika held her head up proudly. This must have been Elesa’s star Pokémon – in more ways than one.

Ryan couldn’t force Axle to stay out and fight that thing when the paralysis was already hampering his movement. “Axle, return for now,” he commanded, drawing the dragon back into his capsule. Axle didn’t complain, although whether that was because he didn’t mind or he simply couldn’t speak because of the paralysis, Ryan couldn’t tell.

So who should he send out to fight next? There was nobody else on his team who could stand up to electric-type attacks. Perhaps there was a way to use Elesa’s switching technique against her. In which case, that was probably the first priority.

“Smith!”

The Trubbish gazed up in awe at the zebra after he landed, offering a small wave. The Zebstrika snorted and turned her head away, nostrils flaring. At the response, Smith looked slightly dejected.

“Now, Thundra, beauty isn’t only skin deep!” Elesa said with a quiet laugh. “But it’s also not the most important thing in battle. Volt switch!”

Thundra looked relieved to be able to get out of there, preparing to send out the spark of electricity and vanish back to the safety – and hygiene – of her Poké ball.

“Quickly, Smith, before she leaves! Toxic spikes!”

“Huh? Oh!” At the command Smith quickly spat out a spray of purple-coloured barbs, scattering them around the far side of the arena. Before he could create any more, however, he was hit by the Zebstrika’s attack, and pushed over backwards by the force of the electricity. “I’m okay… I think…”

Gavin was drawn out of his capsule once more, ready to fight. Yet as he landed on the ground, some of the barbs became attached to his fur, piercing through and injecting the spider with poison. He hissed and chittered as patches of his fur started to gain a purple tint.

“Oh, goodness,” Elesa hummed. “That was certainly a well-thought-out move.” She looked towards her Pokémon, which was suffering from the poison but still able to fight. “We’d better counter that, don’t you think? Electroweb!”

She wasn’t switching this time. Perhaps hoping that if Gavin stayed out for long enough then he’d pick up the rest of the barbs and Thundra wouldn’t get poisoned as well. If that was the case, they could make sure that didn’t happen.

Gavin raised his antennae, shooting out a net of electricity-infused web and trapping the poison-type beneath it. Smith tried to escape, but the sticky material clung to him, pulsing electricity through him at the same time.

Smith had to escape from the web or it’d continue to drain his energy. But they also needed to deal with the challenge that was to come next… “Toxic spikes, again!”

Wincing from the pain of a constant cycle of electricity running through his body, Smith managed to send out another wave of spikes. It didn’t affect the spider at all, but it would be an effective trap for when Thundra came back out afterwards.

“Now, Gavin, let’s finish this with slash!”

Smith had to escape from that web, and quickly. Ryan raised his voice over the cheer of the crowd. “Sludge bomb!”

As the spider scuttled towards him, Smith gathered as much energy as he could muster to fire a ball of sludge at the creature. The toxic materials it was made of tore through the web, causing enough of it to melt that the Trubbish could break free. Gavin hissed fiercely as he was hit by the sludge, backing away slightly as it burned against his fur, but he wasn’t defeated yet. Hopping forwards, he lashed out with one leg, clawing the poison type.

Smith was thrown backwards. He tried to push himself back up, but it was clear his energy was dwindling after being hurt so bad.

“Smith, it’s okay. You did really well in this battle; you can rest now,” Ryan told him, returning the relieved-looking Trubbish to his Poké ball.

Gavin wasn’t looking in brilliant shape either. It was only a few moments after the opposing Pokémon had disappeared that he fell to the ground, his energy to battle drained by the poison.

Another rumble of excitement echoed through the audience as both Pokémon vanished from the field. Elesa was down to her last Pokémon while Ryan still had three left – although they didn’t know that he would only willingly send two of them out to battle. He promised Mariana that he wouldn’t make her fight against an electric-type, and he intended to keep that promise. He just had to hope that Jay and Charlotte would be capable of taking out the gym leader’s final Pokémon.

Jay looked just as over-excited as ever as he appeared, hopping on the spot. “Gym battle!”

“Okay, Thundra! It’s up to you to steal the show now!” Elesa called as she tossed her final Poké ball into the air. Red light erupted from it and the zebra landed gracefully on the ground – although that grace was broken by the angered shriek as multiple poisoned spikes dug into her, leaving the Zebstrika badly poisoned before her battle had even begun.

The gym leader didn’t miss a beat. “Flame charge!”

Trying her best to overcome the poison, Thundra let out a loud snort, pawing at the ground with one hoof before speeding forwards, flames wrapping around her body. Jay didn’t even get a chance to react before she crashed into him and he was thrown backwards.

“Jay!” Ryan cried. Thundra was definitely powerful. It looked like they’d have to use that power against her. “Use payback!”

“Ah ah ah, not so fast!” Elesa grinned with a flick of her finger. “Thundra, stomp!”

The Umbreon climbed back to his paws, eyes glowing as he prepared to fight back with the added power of the damage he’d taken. Yet the zebra was still close to him, and at the command from her trainer, she reared up into the air, bringing her front hooves crashing down on the smaller creature.

“Jay, no!”

He was thrown to the ground once more, unable to carry out his own attack. Still, he managed to climb unsteadily back to his paws, letting out a whine of annoyance. “That was _mean_ …!”

“If you aren’t prepared to fight then just give up!” Thundra snorted, mane crackling with electricity.

Her stubborn attitude reminded Ryan of Nate’s Zebstrika, Raisin. Perhaps they were all like that…

Still, they couldn’t give up now. It looked like they’d have to use the same technique they’d used in the battle against the Luxray earlier. “Jay, screech!”

The fact that Jay was upset at the creature for hurting him probably helped as he threw back his head and let out a high-pitched shriek. Thundra backed away, almost thrown off-balance by the sound as her ears twisted backwards. She let out a fierce snort and a cry of her own, as if trying to block out the noise.

“Finish with spark!” Elesa called.

Jay’s screech was cut off by a surprised wail as he was suddenly hit by the charging zebra. Thundra was so fast he hadn’t even seen her move. The sudden zap of electricity stunned him as he was thrown across the arena, crashing to the ground in front of his trainer, ears and tail flopping limply.

“Jay…” For a moment, Ryan was worried he’d been knocked out completely, but it wasn’t long before the Umbreon blinked opened his eyes. As he tried to get back to his paws, a quiet whimper escaped him, and that was when Ryan knew he couldn’t fight. “Rest for now.”

“But I didn’t even get to do anything…!” the dark-type complained.

“You helped, I promise. We’ll win this!” The assurance seemed to help, and Jay had no more complaints as he was taken back into the safety of his Poké ball.

Taking one final capsule from his pocket, Ryan held onto it for a moment as he watched the Zebstrika. There was no way he could send Mariana out to fight that thing. “Okay, Charlotte, it’s up to you!”

“Oh, so no pressure then,” the Mienfoo replied sarcastically as she emerged. She shook a paw at the Zebstrika. “Bring it, stripes!”

Thundra just glared at her, letting out an aggravated snort.

“This battle is certainly starting to glow!” Elesa cheered, sending another wave of excitement throughout the audience. That was enough to make Thundra lift her head higher; the Zebstrika certainly had an ego. “Now, use flame charge!”

“Detect!”

As the zebra raced forwards once more at an amazing speed, Charlotte’s ears twitched. She hopped out of the way just as the electric-type reached her, managing to avoid getting hit by any of the flames swirling around her fur.

Yet Thundra didn’t stop her gallop, turning to race around the arena instead. The flames were fading but the crowd’s cheers hadn’t, and the creature gave off a few sparks for show as she sped past.

Even so, Thundra’s striped fur was still tainted purple in some places. If she kept running like that, the poison would wear her out faster.

That meant they were probably planning something; Ryan needed to try and finish this battle as soon as possible. “Force palm!”

Charlotte waited for the electric-type to come near to her before jumping forward, bringing energy into her right paw as she prepared to hit the zebra with it.

Yet Thundra’s agility was amazing, and she jumped at the last moment, sending the attack to the ground instead as dust exploded into the arena.

“Thundra, spark!”

She drove her hooves into the ground, turning quickly to charge back the way she’d come.

“Char, look out!” Ryan cried, but there was no way she could see what was happening while trapped in the cloud of dust.

The fighting-type was hit head-on by the attack, sparks of electricity shooting through her as she was thrown against the side of the arena. The people in the crowd above leaned forward in their seats to try and see what was happening below.

Charlotte fell to the ground, trying to recover her energy. That attack had hurt her badly.

“Char, c’mon, get up! You can do it…!” Ryan tried to cheer her on, unsure whether it was working. Although the Mienfoo was tired, she struggled to try and get back to her paws, legs trembling slightly from the effort.

He couldn’t force Mariana to fight such a strong electric-type. He’d have to believe in Charlotte and hope she could win this battle on her own.

“It looks like this battle might be about over,” Elesa stated, a victorious yet apologetic smile on her face. “Now, Thundra! It’s time to bring this show to a close; use spark one last time!”

With a victorious whinny, the zebra reared back before charging for her opponent once more.

“Char—!” Ryan didn’t know what to do. Was he really going to lose this battle?

Although, Thundra was moving slower than before. The poison was starting to affect her badly. It wouldn’t be long until it drained her energy completely; if Char could manage to land an attack…

“Use pound!”

Almost out of breath as she managed to stand up once more, Charlotte watched the approaching Pokémon. Letting out an angry snort, Thundra leapt forwards, mane sparking with electricity and ready to crash into the fighting-type.

Gathering as much energy as she could, Charlotte jumped towards her, swinging one paw. Yet there was something… different. Her paw was glowing in an odd colour. _That’s not pound…!_

Thundra shrieked as the attack connected, punched hard in the shoulder and sent off-balance. Her power was drained from her in the short time the two were connected; then Thundra was sent crashing to the side of the arena.

As Charlotte landed, she looked a lot stronger than she had done a moment ago. Thundra, meanwhile, was struggling to try and get back up; finally, with a quiet whinny of defeat, her head fell to the ground. Her energy was spent, both from the poison and her power being drained from her.

There was a moment of silence in the room – then the audience exploded into cheer.

“Challenger, you certainly turned that battle around!” Elesa praised him with a beaming smile on her face. “Thundra, you tried your best, even if you didn’t quite manage to take the spotlight. Maybe you’ll have better luck with the next challenger.”

The Zebstrika gave another quiet snort as she was returned to her Poké ball. They may have defeated the zebra, but they certainly hadn’t defeated her pride.

“I did it!” Charlotte cheered as she ran back over to her trainer. “I don’t know what on earth just happened but I did it! High five!”

As she jumped into the air, Ryan held out one hand – then drew it back the second she smacked her paw against it, as her fur seemed to burn a little. “Ow—we won the battle! And Char, I think you just used drain punch…!” He could barely hear himself think over the cheering of the audience.

With a bright and friendly smile on her face, Elesa walked over to stand in front of him. She offered both hands; one for him to shake, the other bestowing a disc and a metal pin. “Well done, challenger. I hereby present you with the Bolt Badge, proof of your victory. Take this TM, too; TM72, Volt Switch. As you might have guessed, it’s one of my favourite moves!” As he shook her hand, she added, “by the way, you never introduced yourself. What’s your name?”

“Ryan. And this is Charlotte,” he told her, casting a glance at the Mienfoo as he said her name.

Once he was in possession of the badge and TM, Elesa picked up the colourful cane she’d set aside and held it up to the crowd once more. “Let’s hear it for the challenger Ryan and his Pokémon Charlotte!”

Another eruption of cheer ran through the crowd. “Ryan! Charlotte!”

“This must be what it feels like to be famous,” Charlotte muttered, looking slightly dazed as she watched the crowd cheer for them, waving a paw.

Ryan might not have enjoyed being the centre of attention, but he had to admit it felt good to have so many people cheering for him. Still, he hoped none of the other gyms would be quite as much of a show as this one was…

“Elesa!”

The call was almost drowned out by the audience, but the gym leader must have noticed, for she glanced around at the sound of her name. The colourfully-dressed gym guide was stood by the door of the tent, an unfittingly serious expression on his clown face.

“John, is something wrong?” Elesa asked, approaching the door so that she’d actually be able to hear what he was saying. The cheers were starting to fade now. Ryan and Charlotte watched in confusion. What was going on?

“There were screams coming from outside, so I looked and then—then this _thing_ ran past,” John explained, looking confused and slightly shaken up. “I don’t think it saw me, but I haven’t the foggiest what it was.”

“It sounds like trouble,” the gym leader decided, taking a Poké ball from her pocket – one she hadn’t used in the battle – and removing her headphones, holding them out to the guide. “Look after these while I’m out, would you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he nodded.

Elesa turned back to the crowd, who had stopped cheering and caught wind of the news, a few quiet worried murmurs being passed around. “Everyone, don’t panic; it should be safe to remain inside the gym until I’ve sorted this out.”

Ryan exchanged a glance with Charlotte as the gym leader vanished through the door.

“The heck was that about?” the Mienfoo questioned.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. He had a bad feeling about this. “Let’s find out what’s going on too.”

 

* * *

 

After storing the badge and TM away safely, Ryan headed out of the gym, ignoring the guide’s abrupt warning that it might be dangerous. He returned Charlotte to her Poké ball so she could rest after the battle and released Mariana. She was the only one who hadn’t participated, so at least she’d be capable of fighting back if anything did happen out here.

He gave her a brief explanation of what was going on as they hurried after Elesa. The gym leader hadn’t gone far, still trying to look for whatever had caused the commotion. She glanced around in surprise at the sound of footsteps, her brow soon furrowing when she noticed him. “You should go back inside the gym. It might be dangerous out here.”

Ryan just shrugged. “I have my Pokémon.”

Elesa gave the water-type a thoughtful glance. “I wasn’t aware you had another one with you.” It was more of a curious observation than an accusation.

“I promised I wouldn’t make her fight against your electric-type Pokémon,” he replied simply, not knowing how good of an explanation she’d find it.

“You’re a considerate trainer, I’ll give you that much,” she hummed. Holding up the Poké ball she’d carried with her, she pressed the button, releasing another Emolga which appeared in the air and floated down to land somewhat unsteadily on her shoulder. “This is Elek. His tail was permanently damaged a long time ago; I haven’t used him for a gym battle since, but the little guy is still more than strong enough to deal with any funny business. I guess in that respect, it’s almost a similar situation.” Elesa smiled, reaching up to scratch the squirrel under the chin. He let out a happy squeak at the affection. “He makes a nice companion too.”

Ryan just watched, somewhat curious. He knew there was a possibility of Pokémon getting badly injured in battle – enough so that even the Pokémon Centre’s accelerated healing wouldn’t be able to save them. Yet he’d never witnessed first-hand what a trainer would actually do if something like that happened. His father had told him of Pokémon he’d met in the past who had been mistreated or even abandoned by people when they lost the ability to fight properly.

He could see that Elek’s tail was slightly crooked, and from the messy way he’d landed it probably affected his ability to fly, but other than that he still looked healthy.

“You look surprised,” Elesa continued. “It can be dangerous sometimes for a gym leader to use every one of their Pokémon in battle, especially if they lose to the challenger. Unfortunately there are bad people out there who would take advantage of a situation like that, attacking for selfish reasons when they don’t have any Pokémon who can fight back.” Noticing Ryan’s alarmed look at her serious tone, she gave a friendly smile and added, “Things like that don’t happen very often, don’t worry. It’s more of a safety precaution.”

He breathed a small sigh of relief. “Being a gym leader sounds dangerous.” If anything, he could cross that off the list of jobs he might want to have when he was older.

“Oh, there are far more dangerous careers to have, believe me. I wouldn’t want to be the person who cleans the windows in this city, for one,” she said, a laugh accompanying her words as she looked around at the tall buildings, holding up a hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun. “However, I do still have a job to do – and this is one of those rare times it may be dangerous. It might be safer for you to go back to the gym or the Pokémon Centre.”

“But I don’t—”

No sooner had he spoken than he was interrupted by a high-pitched scream. It sounded like it had come from nearby. Ryan glanced around at the buildings, trying to see what had caused it. Mariana’s ears twitched alarmingly as she clung to his leg, fighting the urge to hide.

A moment later something appeared at the end of the road. A strange-looking creature; it had six legs and scuttled along almost like the Galvantula they’d seen earlier, and was probably around the same size. Yet its body shone in the sunlight, made of some kind of metal, and it didn’t look anything like a spider. There was a small turret at the centre of its body, with something on top that resembled a camera. It had a couple of spikes sticking out of its sides as well.

“What _is_ that thing?” Elesa murmured, sounding more like she was asking herself than him. Elek gave a quiet grumble, a few sparks of electricity forming from his cheeks as he leaned forward on his trainer’s shoulder.

At the sound of a voice, the creature turned towards them. What had looked like a camera before seemed to be watching them, and as it locked on the eye started to glow red.

_It’s like the things we saw in the Dreamyard and the forest…_

The thing then started to scurry towards them. Its legs looked sharp near the ends, and they stabbed the concrete road as it scuttled forwards. The eye was flashing red now.

“It doesn’t look friendly,” Elesa observed, taking a step forward and holding out her arm so that Elek could run along it. “Electro ball!”

The Emolga ran forwards, jumping into the air once he reached her hand and quickly forming an orb of electricity in front of him. He fired it at the creature, pushed backwards by the force and falling back to land unsteadily in his trainers’ arms once more. Electricity crackled in the air as the ball of electricity flew towards the oncoming threat, and it wasn’t long before the attack hit its mark.

As soon as the electricity made contact, the creature stopped in its path, jolting slightly from the surge of energy. The red light vanished. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like it had been defeated.

“I guess that’s crisis averted,” Elesa said with a smile, looking down at the young trainer. “No wonder there was such a commotion out here.”

Ryan just nodded, unsure whether he should mention the fact that he’d seen things like that before or not. He was distracted by an odd buzzing sound.

The creature was still standing. The electricity Elek had fired at it before was now gathering around the spikes, and they were starting to glow brightly.

“What—” the gym leader abruptly changed her sentence, holding out an arm almost as if to shield him. “Get back!”

Ryan stepped back – and almost tripped over Mariana in the process. What was Elesa going to do? The thing was about to send the attack back at them, and there was nowhere for shelter out here in the middle of the road!

Everything seemed to happen all at once. The odd creature fired the electricity, sending it through the air with an ear-splitting crack. A shadow flashed past. The earth trembled.

A large Pokémon appeared in front of them with an angry snarl, taking the force of the electricity but not affected by it at all as the sparks simply snaked through its scales to the ground. Lips drawing back in a snarl and showing off rows of sharp teeth, it charged forward and lashed out with a fin-like claw, sending the odd creature flying into the side of a nearby building. It gave off another few sparks, but not as an attack this time; it crumpled to the ground, broken.

Ryan just stared up at the Pokémon in shock after everything that had just happened. It returned the glance, a somewhat curious look in its eyes, and seemed pleased that they were unharmed.

Still, this was a dragon he’d never seen in real life before. _Is that… a Garchomp?_

The clacking sound of heels somewhere behind them caught his attention, and all five of them looked back; at the sight of another person, presumably someone she knew, Elesa smiled. “That was certainly good timing.”

As she walked up to the group, the stranger flashed a smile of her own, pausing to brush the golden fringe out of her face. “I suppose it’s a good thing I decided to stay in Unova for a few more weeks, huh?”


	29. Unknown Information

Ryan watched the stranger, trying to hide the curiosity in his gaze. If she was just temporarily staying in the Unova region, did that mean she lived somewhere else? She did speak with a slight accent…

“I see you have a helper today, Elesa,” the woman said jokingly, casting a glance and a smile at Ryan. At least she seemed nice, whoever she was.

“Oh, he’d just won his gym battle before there was a… _commotion_ outside.” Elesa looked over at the pile of metal lying at the side of the road. “Thank you for the help, Cynthia.”

“No problem. You can thank Gracie for that!”

“Cynthia…?” Ryan echoed quietly. That was another of those names he felt he should know from somewhere, but he couldn’t remember why.

“Anyhow, I need to return to the gym and let everyone know that it’s safe,” Elesa concluded, holding up one hand in a wave. “Ryan, good luck with the rest of your gym battles. And Cynthia, come and say bye before you go back to Sinnoh!”

“Okay, I’ll make sure to remember this time,” she laughed, waving the leader off. Elek and the Garchomp exchanged a quick farewell wave as well; they must have known each other.

“She’s from Sinnoh,” Ryan recalled, keeping his voice low so the others wouldn’t overhear him, except Mariana.

“What’s Sinnoh?” The Dewott had remained close to his side throughout the whole incident – and hadn’t moved away even when everything was over, most likely because of the large dragon that now stood nearby.

“It’s another region. I think it’s pretty far away from Unova.”

There was a loud _thud_ as the Garchomp took a step towards them – causing Mariana to run and hide behind Ryan once more. It reached down to be on eye-level with the boy. “Hello there. Are you two okay?”

“Um—yeah, we’re fine,” Ryan nodded. “Mariana’s just kinda shy.” At her name being spoken, the Dewott cautiously took a few steps out from her hiding spot.

“Hm? Oh! Sorry, don’t mind Gracie, she can be very friendly at times.” Cynthia stepped forward, placing one hand on the dragon’s head.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Ryan said hurriedly, figuring she must have assumed the large creature intimidated him. She was just a Pokémon, after all; and a friendly one at that. He doubted she’d hurt him. Mariana, on the other hand, might take a little more convincing.

“Not scared of the big mean dragon, I see,” the woman teased, petting Gracie’s head and earning a rumbled purr in response. “Ah, she’s just a big softie really. And very protective too.” She glanced at the crumpled pile of metal. “I don’t think that thing will be causing any more trouble.”

There were still a few sparks emanating from the odd creature, but it hadn’t moved from the spot. The light was gone and its body was badly dented, both from the attack and being thrown against the wall. Gracie had really done a number on that thing.

“Is there anything like that in the Sinnoh region?” Ryan asked, hoping this person might know something about it. He’d never seen anything like that back home in Greenway – and he didn’t even know if they were really living creatures at all.

Cynthia shook her head, sending her waist-length blonde hair swaying slightly. “Not that I’ve seen. And I’ve seen a lot of the Sinnoh region! I haven’t seen anything like that before at all, to be frank. I’m not even sure it’s actually a Pokémon.”

“I… saw one of them before. In the Dreamyard. I don’t know what it looked like, but I think it had two eyes rather than one.” Perhaps he shouldn’t mention the giant monster they’d seen in the forest. That thing had given him nightmares…

“Really?” Cynthia raised an eyebrow. “Hmm, maybe there are even more of them around. Although, on the other hand, Unova really isn’t my business… although on the other-other hand – the first hand? – Dawn is doing a pretty good job of looking after Sinnoh, so… ah, you don’t need to listen to me ramble. I’ll end up just like my grandmother before I reach the age of fifty, I swear.” She shook her head with a laugh. “I take it you want to know more about what these things might be?”

Did he? The thought hadn’t really crossed his mind, but it would be nice to find out what the odd metal creatures were, whether they were really Pokémon or not – and if they _were_ , why he hadn’t heard any of them speak. “Yeah.”

“Well, they’re certainly nothing that I’ve ever seen before. A fossil Pokémon would make sense, but it doesn’t look like a rock-type… I’ll tell you what. I have a friend—well, more of an acquaintance. I used to see him at charity events often, and he knows a lot about Pokémon. Maybe he’ll know something that’ll be helpful.”

“Really?” If there was someone who might know what these things were, he was definitely up for meeting them. Things were always less scary when you knew more about them.

“Uh-huh! He lives in White Forest. I’m planning on heading back to my house in Undella Town just past there, so if you want, I can take you to meet him.”

“Oh, thank you!” Ryan’s eyes lit up. He was going to find out about these creatures and get to see a new place at the same time!

“But, first thing’s first, if you’ve just come out of a gym battle, you’ll need to heal your Pokémon beforehand. I’m sure they’re tired.” At his sudden guilty expression, she gave a friendly smile. “It’s okay! Think you can find your way to the Pokémon Centre and back? You go and get your Pokémon healed up; I’ll see if I can do something about this mess in the meantime.”

As Ryan hurried off to the Pokémon Centre, Mariana racing to keep up, he couldn’t help but cast a glance at the crumpled pile of metal near the wall. From the state that thing was in, he hoped it _wasn’t_ a real Pokémon.

 

* * *

 

By the time he returned, Cynthia had left a message with the gym guide for someone to gather up the metal and send it to Professor Juniper. Whether they gained any information from this trip or not, the professor might be able to find out what the creature had been. Cynthia returned Gracie to a Poké ball and then headed for one of the city’s exits, beckoning for him to follow.

Ryan hadn’t looked at the map and therefore didn’t know where White Forest was, but Cynthia seemed sure of where she was going as she led the way to Route 16, telling him the place was just past the bridge on the far side of the route. He couldn’t help but glance at the forest as they passed. Was that giant creature still in there somewhere? He hoped so; that way he could just avoid the forest and he’d never have to see that thing again.

He didn’t even notice the hooded figure walking past until Mariana let out a squeak of surprise. As Ryan glanced back to see what was happening, he noticed what she was looking at; the Pokémon travelling at their side.

A large blue sea lion, legs clad in armour and a spiked helmet on its head. It walked proudly after its trainer, pausing for a moment at the sight of them, an impressive set of whiskers twitching as it sniffed the air.

_That’s a Samurott…!_

Mariana froze, staring up at the evolution with a look of awe in her eyes. It watched her for a moment, regal demeanour not compromised at all by the expressionless glance.

“C’mon, Marth, leave ‘em alone,” the person muttered quietly, clicking their fingers. The Samurott turned his head at the call, letting out a snort which ruffled the fur around his muzzle.

Hadn’t Ryan heard that voice before somewhere?

“Hmm,” Cynthia chuckled quietly, walking over to the figure and pulling off the hood. “Fancy meeting you here! Were you hiding from me?”

“Whoa! Um, h-hey… Cynthia…” They span around at the sudden identity reveal, taking a few steps back. _Nate_? “No, no, I was just, uh… y’know, sunburn can post a potential health hazard. Better safe than sorry!” He forced a grin.

“His excuses are getting worse,” Marth mumbled, letting out a hopeless sigh. The sky was mostly clouded over today.

“A real hazard, I’m sure.” Cynthia tilted her head slightly as she scanned him, paying the most attention to his scruffy ponytail which currently hung over his shoulder due to the hood. “One of these days you need to get a haircut.”

“That’s rich coming from the person who could probably sit on their hair.”

“There’s a difference between looking after your hair and just letting it grow.”

Having heard enough hair talk just from being at home, Ryan turned his attention to the Pokémon instead. Mariana was still gazing at the larger water-type, but quickly looked away at the ground as soon as he made eye contact.

“Good day to you,” the Samurott said politely, giving a respectful nod.

“U-um, h-hello,” she stuttered, waving back. Her whiskers and tail twitched nervously.

“Female Dewott, huh?” Nate observed, probably trying to steer the conversation away from him. He knelt down so that he was closer to eye-level with the starter and held out one hand. “They’re pretty uncommon. I guess that’s why Oshawott are so rare.”

Mariana shied away from him at first, casting a worried glance up at her trainer.

“It’s okay, Mariana; this is Nate.”

“The champion?” Her eyes grew round in surprise, but she seemed to decide he was a person that could be trusted and tottered forward to shake his hand, earning a smile in response.

“So – Ryan, right? The Pokémon had any interesting conversations recently?” There was an amused glint in his eyes, so it obviously wasn’t a serious question.

“Conversations?” Cynthia echoed, sounding slightly confused.

“Ry here’s a bona fide Pokémon whisperer!” he explained with a flourish. “Observe.” He reached over to the Samurott, lifting the creature’s head to look at him and ruffling his fur. “Alright, Marthy, say somethin’!”

Marth fixed him with an unamused glare. “You’re an idiot.”

Nate looked back to Ryan once more. “So, what’d he say? I bet he just said how much he loved me, right?”

“Um…” Ryan blinked, casting a glance at the Samurott, who had freed himself from his trainer’s grip and was now irritably running his claws through his whisker fur in an effort to straighten it out. “Indirectly…?”

“Well, I’ve certainly seen things more unusual than someone with the ability to speak to Pokémon, so I guess I can believe it,” Cynthia shrugged. “That’s quite a gift.”

“Thanks, I… have it because of my dad, I think,” Ryan added modestly. He couldn’t help but feel slightly alienated whenever people made a big deal out of his ability.

“Got his sense of humour as well, by the looks of things,” Nate teased, patting Marth’s helmet – causing the Samurott to throw him another irritated glance – and getting back to his feet. “Ah well.”

“Anyway, we’d better get going. It’ll be getting dark before long, and it’d be rude to visit Eldred so late in the day. Ryan, are you ready to keep traveling?” Cynthia asked. When he nodded, she began to walk off. “Alright. Be seeing you, Nate.”

“See ya.” While her back was turned, he gave a mock salute. 

Ryan hesitated for a moment, his gaze fixed on Nate. How did Cynthia know the champion?

Nate met his look with a friendly smile. “Go on; if she’s taking you to see someone, you should probably catch up.” He pulled the hood of his jacket up once more, turning and heading for the city. Marth respectfully dipped his head to the trainer and Pokémon before plodding after the champion. There was certainly an air of strength to him; Mariana must have noticed that as well.

“The champion’s Pokémon…” she murmured quietly.

“Yeah. He must be really powerful.”

Cynthia had waited for them to catch up; when they did, she was watching the man disappear into the tunnel leading to the city. “He’s really changed over the past few years.”

“Have you known him for a long time?” Ryan asked, curious. He had the feeling there was something… _off_ about Unova’s champion, but he couldn’t really tell what. Perhaps he could ask his father. It sounded like he’d known him before.

“Oh, I met him shortly after he became the champion. He used to visit me at the villa each year for a battle. I could never beat him, though; perhaps he stopped coming because he worried I might one day,” she chuckled.

“You battled him? Were… were you trying to be the champion?” Wouldn’t that be what happened if the current champion was defeated?

Cynthia looked slightly surprised at the question. “Oh, of course not! I’ve had my fill of being champion for one lifetime. Besides, there was never an official judge for those battles; he just liked the challenge.”

“You were the _champion_?”

“Of the Sinnoh region. It was a long time ago, though. I’m actually glad that Dawn defeated me; it means I’m free to travel to other regions. Pokémon mythology is more interesting to me than a champion’s title.”

Ryan tried to hide the slightly incredulous look on his face. He’d met a lot of former champions so far, even though he hadn’t been on his journey for long. They seemed a lot more like normal people than he’d first expected; and now he knew why the name Cynthia had seemed so familiar.

However, he knew one thing: if _he_ was the champion of the region, that wouldn’t be a title he’d willingly give up.

 

* * *

 

It was easy to see why the structure was called Marvellous Bridge. The view from it, as well as the architecture of the bridge itself, was marvellous, to put it simply. Mariana had stared longingly at the wide river’s surface sparkling in the sunlight; Ryan just shuddered at the thought of falling in there. He didn’t like water.

White Forest was on the other side of the bridge, just as Cynthia had said – and it also lived up to its name, or at least half of it. Trees reached up to the skyline, providing shelter for the houses settled in the grassy clearing. Further into the town was a marketplace next to one of the largest trees Ryan had ever seen. He wondered what it’d be like to climb it, but since there weren’t many branches closer to the ground it’d probably be near impossible.

“Not far now,” Cynthia said as they followed one of the leaf-strewn paths. “I should warn you, though, Eldred is… well, it’d be disrespectful to say he’s getting old. His body might not work as well as it used to, but rest assured his mind works just fine. He’s got a lot of Pokémon knowledge stored up there,” she pointed to her head for emphasis, “so if we’re lucky, he might know something about those strange creatures.”

They eventually stopped at a decently-sized bungalow. Vines crawled up a couple of trellis against the wall, and a weathered chair stood on a part of the grass which would likely have been in the sun earlier in the day.

It wasn’t long after Cynthia knocked on the door that it was opened by a woman who looked to be in her late thirties. Her hair was tied back neatly and she was wearing an apron. “Oh, Cynthia! What can I do for you?”

“Hello, Catherine. If it’s no trouble, I’ve come by to see Eldred.”

“Oh, that’s nice. He doesn’t get many visitors,” she smiled. “Please, do come in. Is there any particular reason you’re here, or just felt like dropping in?”

“There was an odd creature in the city. I thought if anyone might have a clue on what it was, it’d be Eldred. That’s why Ryan’s with me; I guess you could say he’s a witness.”

Catherine gave a friendly smile, holding the door open so they could enter. Ryan returned Mariana to her Poké ball first; she looked nervous at being around so many strangers, and besides, they were going into someone else’s house. He didn’t know if there were other people who had the same attitude to having Pokémon in the house as his mother did…

The woman led them along a hallway and to a room that appeared to be the lounge. The place did seem rather homely, and reminded Ryan of his grandmother’s house. There was a fireplace, but the fire was out, making the house feel slightly chilly.

“Mister Eldred, there are guests here to see you!”

“Guests?”

An elderly-looking man slowly turned his head at the announcement. He was sat in an armchair near the window, which offered a view of the sunlight-dappled forest. Eldred certainly looked like an ordinary old man – shoulder-length white hair combed back, face wrinkled with age, pale woollen jumper and corduroy trousers, an old walking stick resting against the side of the seat. Yet if what Cynthia said was true, he also held a lot of knowledge.

“Good evening, Eldred,” Cynthia greeted with a smile. “Are you well?”

“Cynthia.” He nodded briefly, a frown on his face which looked effortless enough to be his default expression. “As well as I can be, I suppose. I take it you came here for a reason?”

“In just as good a mood as usual, I see,” she joked. “Actually, I’ve brought someone with me to see you. There have been some unusual creatures in the region and I thought you might have some idea of what they could be. Ryan seems to know more about them than I do, so,” she glanced down at him, “do you want to explain what you saw?”

“Me?” He swallowed. “U-um…” Suddenly he wondered how badly he actually wanted to know about those things.

“Well?” Eldred pressed. He seemed to notice the boy’s nerves after a moment. “It’s okay, I won’t bite. Lost too many teeth for that.”  He absently waved one hand – gloved, presumably because of the cold. They must have not used the fire in this house, and in an area as rural as this forest the homes might not even have heating.

Despite the gruff voice and grumpy expression, Eldred seemed nice enough. Ryan gained some confidence from the realisation. “Th-there was a thing made of metal, I think, and it walked a bit like a Galvantula and had one eye…” He tried to remember what he knew about the other ones as well. “There was another one at the Dreamyard, but all I saw was its glowing eyes, and there was one at the Virbank Complex too although I didn’t see it – apparently it fell in the water and started sparking, or something…” Nerves made the words tumble out slightly too fast.

Eldred watched him silently for a long moment, and Ryan wondered how much of the explanation had even been understandable. “Made of metal, and glowing eyes,” he repeated eventually, a thoughtful expression taking over the blank one on his face. “And sparks when it hits the water. I hear there was once a Pokémon – somewhat of a legend, since not many people ever saw it – but it was called Genesect. Some parts of your description sound a bit like it, but not others.”

“Genesect?” Cynthia echoed. “I’ve heard of that Pokémon, too. It’s supposed to resemble a Kabutops, though. Whatever we saw in the city looked nothing like that.”

“I doubted it could really be one. Like I said, few have ever seen it. Apologies, but that’s the only Pokémon I know of that even begins to match your description.”

“Alright. Well, thank you anyway,” the Sinnoh woman gave a half-hearted smile. “I’d like to get back to Undella Town soon, before it gets dark. Ryan, do you know where you’re staying tonight?”

“Um, well…” That was something he hadn’t really thought about. Perhaps they could walk back to Nimbasa before the sun went down.

“There’s a Pokémon Centre near the treehollow,” Eldred suggested, having gone back to looking out the window once more. It seemed like a nice view, at least. “If you’re a trainer, it’s free.”

“I’m a trainer.” Ryan looked slightly relieved at the information. It wouldn’t be long before the sun set, and he had the feeling Touko might get mad at him if he had any more late-night adventures outside. However, at the mention of the Pokémon Centre, a thought began to make its way into his mind. “Mister Eldred, do you have any Pokémon?” He knew so much about the creatures; surely he must have been a trainer too?

Eldred was silent for a moment; then the question caused a frown to appear on the old man’s face. “I used to. I lost them a long time ago. All because of that damn Team Plasma…”

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.” _Team Plasma._ A lot of people seemed to have mentioned those words since he arrived in Unova, but it’d probably be insensitive to ask Eldred what it meant. Something must have happened a long time ago, something involving Pokémon, and honestly, Ryan wasn’t sure whether he wanted to know _what_.


	30. Deserted

A large pile of colourful books was stacked up on the desk as the man slowly marked his way through them, occasionally leaving short written messages of advice or praise to the results on either end of the score spectrum. It was getting late in the day, and as somewhat of a workaholic he would likely sit there until he was finished marking, but it was being made more difficult than usual thanks to all of the noises in the house.

“Cinnia, give me back my glasses!”

At the sound of a loud _thump_ – likely Bianca either hurdling the sofa or falling off it – Cheren let out a quiet sigh, sitting back in his chair and rubbing at the brim of his nose. He was never going to be able to get his work done with so many distractions, and if he left it for later he’d be too tired to think properly. He raised his voice. “Stop chasing her; she’s just trying to clean them for you. She’ll give them back.”

There was a stubborn huff; then the house fell silent. Good. Now that was sorted, he could finish marking his students’ work.

No sooner had he put his pen to the paper, he was interrupted yet again as Bianca burst into the room, impeccably clean glasses now firmly on her face and one arm in the sleeve of her lab coat as she fought to get the rest of the garment on. “Enjoy your evening, mister teacher! I’ll be back in a few days.”

“You’re leaving? Now?” Cheren looked over his shoulder at last, glancing at the clock on the wall; 7:45PM.

“Yep! I know it’s a bit late, but the professor said she wanted me at the lab to help her examine some kinda strange metal thing, which might be an entire _new_ Pokémon!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “See you soon!”

“Strange metal—” As usual, he was still trying to catch up with her words even after she’d finished speaking. Didn’t that description sound familiar somehow?

_Of course!_ That was similar to how Nate had described the creature he’d seen in the forest. The same forest where Bianca had been hurt by the strange barrier and knocked out…

“Bianca, wait—!”

“Huh?” She was almost out of the door already, but stepped back into the room when he called, tilting her head. “Is something wrong?”

“Uh…” Irritably scratching at the side of his neck, Cheren tried to think of some excuse. How was he supposed to explain that he was wary of the metal creatures? It wasn’t as if he was afraid of steel-type Pokémon, and besides, he hadn’t even told the other gym leaders the exact reason for keeping people away from the forest.  “Ah, nothing… you just seem to be away a lot these days, that’s all. Feels like ages since we’ve managed to spend some time together.” He knew his wife well; affection would probably win her over. And besides, he’d much rather have to get up early the next morning to finish marking this work than for anything to happen to Bianca.

She was silent for a few seconds, taking his words in; then a bright smile spread across her face. “Aww, Cherry, have you been lonely without me? That’s so sweet!”

He automatically flinched as he felt her arms around him, partially because of surprise and partially because he expected to suddenly be unable to breathe, but it seemed Bianca wasn’t going for a bone-crushing hug this time – which was somewhat of a relief. “I—yeah…” Slightly flustered by the affection, he felt his face start to get warm, and he could tell by the way she giggled and kissed his cheek that it had shown.

“Don’t worry! I’ll be back in a few days; maybe we can watch a movie together at the weekend when you have less work to do!” Bianca gave a sweet smile, completely oblivious to the real reason he wanted her to stay. He’d almost hoped she might figure it out on her own, but perhaps that was hoping for too much. It wasn’t as if she’d actually seen the creature in the forest.

“Right…” He forced a smile. After all, she was going to the professor’s lab; if anything did go awry, Aurea and Cedric would be there as well. No danger. “That sounds great, Bee. Come home safely.”

“I’m just going to see the professor, silly! I go there at least once a month,” she laughed, hugging him tighter for a moment before releasing him and standing up straight and glancing over at the clock. “Oh! Speaking of the professor, I’d better get going or I’ll be late! Bye, Cheren!”

“See you,” he gave a – probably unnoticed – wave of farewell as she dashed out of the room. Perhaps he was just worrying too much. That was a habit he’d never really broken out of towards the people closest to him.

 

* * *

 

Ryan was woken the next morning by a muffled yelp as a Pokémon tripped over his leg. As he groggily pulled himself up into a sitting position, he noticed Mariana scrambling back to her paws, an apologetic look on her face.

“Sorry, sorry,” she whispered, waving her paws. “I was just—I wanted to look out the window.” She must have misjudged what was just air under the duvet and what was actually part of him when she was trying to climb over.

“At…” he glanced at the clock on the wall, stifling a yawn, “six in the morning?”

“Ah, sorry…” Mariana shifted her paws for a moment, soon turning her attention back to the window and curiously peeling a corner of the curtain aside. A thin ray of light seeped into the room as she did so.

“Is it a nice view?” Ryan asked, still more or less half asleep, much unlike his Pokémon. If he just went back to sleep she might trip over him again, and he didn’t want her falling off the bed.

“Huh? Oh… yeah. Lots of trees,” she replied absently. Whiskers twitched, and she rolled the material of the curtains between her paws as she looked down at them, seeming distracted. “Do you think I’ll be as strong as him one day?”

In his current half-awake condition, Ryan didn’t piece together her question right away. “As strong as who?”

“Marth… the champion’s Pokémon.” She turned to look up at him, eyes wide with awe and worry. “Are we going to fight him one day?”

“One day, hopefully. It probably won’t be for a long time yet. We still need another four gym badges before we can challenge the league.” And the gym battles were likely to get even tougher from here on out. Imagine how strong they’d be by the end of it all!

“Where is the next gym? Is… are there any more electric-type Pokémon?”

“I don’t know what type it is, but it probably won’t be electric,” Ryan shrugged. “I think the closest gym to here is Driftveil City. It’s the other side of Nimbasa. Maybe we should head over there today.”

“To challenge the gym?” Mariana gasped.

“No, no, we’ll need to train first.” He wasn’t entirely sure what the best way to do that was, but… “I wonder if Jeremy’s still nearby.”

“Jeremy?”

“He’s… a trainer,” Ryan explained simply. “Me and Jay battled him once before we met you. We lost, but I want to show him how much stronger we are now!” Jeremy didn’t seem to think they could beat him; they’d have to show him that he was wrong. “Maybe he’ll still be at the Pokémon Centre in Nimbasa.”

 

* * *

 

“A man named Jeremy? Sorry, but I don’t often remember the names of our guests,” the nurse apologised, bowing her head slightly. “Is he someone you know?”

Ryan just nodded, not really sure how to explain. They’d headed back to Nimbasa first thing in the hopes that if he was still there they might catch him before he left. However, finding him might prove to be more difficult than he’d expected.

“Could you tell me what he looks like? I might have seen him.”

“Um… blond ponytail and glasses. Oh, and he has an Espeon!”

A look of familiarity crossed the nurse’s face. “Ah! Yes, I remember a man like that. He left here yesterday, but I remember he was asking for some of our information leaflets about Relic Castle… I wouldn’t know where he is now. Sorry if that information wasn’t much help. If it’s something important, I could give him a message if he returns.”

“No, it’s okay. Thank you.” He could remember seeing ‘Relic Castle’ written somewhere in the map before, but hadn’t paid much attention to what it might be.

Before going anywhere, he decided he might as well take a look at the map to see where the place was. Perhaps Jeremy was still there?

Charlotte looked over his arm to see what he was doing. “What’s that?”

“A map of Unova.”

She tilted her head, squinting slightly. “Don’t be stupid. Unova is much bigger than that. Heck, this _room_ is bigger than that entire thing!”

“It’s a scale map.”

“… Oh. Right.”

Ryan scanned over the nearby area, searching for the words ‘Relic Castle’, eventually spotting them in the middle of a place that looked like the desert. When passing through that area before they hadn’t ventured out any further than the houses on Route 4; was there really a castle out there? The suggestion made him think of the fantasy-style castles he’d always seen in cartoons when he was younger, and he tried to imagine any of them being out in the middle of nowhere, covered in sand. He wasn’t sure why Jeremy would be going out there, but it definitely sounded interesting…

So, the desert resort had become their next destination. It may have been a complete detour on their way to Driftveil, but it’d be more than worth it if they _did_ manage to find Jeremy and beat him in a battle. Then the man would _have_ to admit that Ryan and his team were strong!

The path from the houses to the desert seemed quiet, so he let all his Pokémon out to walk with him – even if that did slow them down a little.

“Look! Look!” Smith cheered, waving his arms around in the sand as if trying to create some kind of sand-angel, although given his shape it looked more like a sand-bowtie.

“Whee!” Jay seemed to have decided to slide down the sand dunes at the side of the path instead, not seeming too bothered by the fact that the grains stuck to his fur, standing out against the dark colour.

Axle just let out a quiet sigh as he trudged along the path, his footprints sinking slightly deeper than the others’. “Honestly, you’d think they’d only just hatched out of—” he was interrupted as a clump of sand hit his scales, and snapped his gaze around with a furious glare in his eyes. Charotte just snickered at the expression, not seeming intimidated at all.

“Are we nearly there yet?” Mariana asked quietly, trotting along beside her trainer, occasionally stopping to try and shake off the sand that clung to her blue fur.

“Almost.” Ryan pointed to the tunnel-like gate up ahead, signalling the change between the route and the resort. He could tell that the wind was starting to get stronger, and he could see some of the sand being carried by it up ahead.

It certainly hadn’t prepared him for the sudden gale that hit them when they reached the far end of the gate.

Either the weather had suddenly taken a turn for the worse, or the sandstorm was just a lot harsher further from the city. Either way, Ryan found himself squinting and holding up one arm to shield his face from the sand that lashed against his skin, pressing on forward.

“I can’t see!” Jay wailed, stumbling from the force of the wind against him as he walked unevenly through the sea of sand, ears buffeted madly by the gales.

Ryan glanced back at his team, glad that it was easier to see when he wasn’t facing the wind. Jay wasn’t the only one having trouble against the storm. “You guys should return to your Poké balls for now.” If they were going to battle somewhere here – he didn’t know how anyone could fight in this weather – they couldn’t let their strength be sapped by the storm first. None of them had any complaints about being sent into the shelter of the red-and-white capsules.

The tricky part was probably going to be trying to find the castle. Even if the desert was mostly sand dunes, it was impossible to see far into the distance with the sand raging past. How had the weather managed to change so much from out on Route 4? Was it always like this out here?

Pulling up his hood to hopefully provide some shelter, Ryan fought his way through the storm alone. His clothes were steadily getting covered in sand, and he was pretty sure there was some in his shoes now too – perhaps coming out here hadn’t been such a good idea. But if Jeremy had come through this terrible weather to get here, there must have been something important, right? Unless the storm hadn’t been so bad yesterday…

Reaching the top of one of the sand dunes, he held one hand up to shield his eyes from the weather and attempted to look around. It was a fruitless effort; he couldn’t see anything further than a few metres away. He was starting to wonder if the storm was getting even worse.

Amidst the howling of the wind, he thought he heard something else. A strange noise; definitely not human. It almost sounded like a groan—or perhaps a growl…

“Hello?” Ryan scanned the area once more, wincing as sand blew into his eyes. Trying to blink it out, his vision was momentarily lessened, but he couldn’t hear the noise anymore either.

“Leave this place _, now!”_

The ferocious roar startled him. He still couldn’t tell where it had come from, but instinctively he took a step back. The unsteady surface shifted beneath him, throwing him off balance, and for a moment the world seemed to spin as he felt himself falling.

A few seconds later he was at the bottom of the dune he’d just been standing on, even more sand than before stuck to his clothes and still slightly dazed. Sitting up was more difficult than expected with the sand shifting beneath his hands, but when he finally did, he could see a shadow moving towards him.

A very large shadow, getting increasingly large by the second…

The sand lit up as the beast finally appeared visibly in front of him, roaring out a battle cry and holding one flaming fist into the air. _A Darmanitan!_

It was going to attack. He wouldn’t stand a chance against a creature that powerful, and there was no time to send out any of his Pokémon—

In the end, all Ryan could do was stare up at the violent creature, frozen with the fear evident in his eyes as he anticipated getting hit by the attack. Why had he thought coming out here was a good idea? He should have turned back as soon as he realised how bad the storm was.

Time felt like it had stopped. Maybe it had. Perhaps he’d already been hit and it was just taking his brain a while to catch up.

Or maybe what he thought was happening really was. The fire-type had continued to watch him, eyes widening to a look of somewhat disbelief. Slowly the flames faded out, extinguished completely as it let its arm drop back down to the sand. Flaming eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Your scent—no, it can’t be— so how…?” the creature mumbled, taking a step towards the frightened child. For some reason it seemed to be more cautious now, as if it didn’t actually _want_ to scare him.

“Natural…”


	31. Refuge

Red flashes illuminated the sand with the sun blotted out by the storm. Most people who adventured into the resort were well prepared for such a location; the man taking the force of the sand nary batting an eyelid was definitely not. The colour of his clothes was almost hidden beneath the sand that had clung to the material, but the tied-back mass of green definitely stood out against the oranges of the desert.

The large ape-like creature sitting calmly next to him watched with a neutral expression as the man fumbled with yet another red-and-white orb. “Why must the release systems for these awful devices be so complicated?” he muttered under his breath, a comment that was barely heard over the sound of the wind. Another click, another flash, a rather relieved look on the man’s face, and the last Pokémon was freed.

“Thank you for your assistance, my friends. I’m sorry that you had to put yourselves at riskin a battle because of me,” he apologised, bowing his head.

“It was no problem, Sir N,” the most colourful of the creatures assured him, hovering above the ground despite the gales that would likely have blown any other flying-type off balance.

“Next time I’m gonna show that flaming pile of bacon what’s coming to him!” a Scraggy snapped, pulling his loose skin up to his neck and glaring around at the sand as if he expected the Pignite they’d fought to jump out at him any second.

“There won’t _be_ a next time. I’ll separate Pokémon from people so they never have to be hurt in battle by the sheer selfishness of trainers ever again.” The man’s hands balled into fists, a fiery look in his eyes. “Even if we couldn’t win this battle, I’ll find a way. I’ll ask for the help of the legendary dragons if that’s what it takes.”

“The dragons from the legend?” the Sandile and Darumaka gasped in unison.

“If that is the task you are seeking, we shall wish you luck, Sir N,” the flying-type stated.

“Thank you, Sigilyph,” N smiled. “And thanks to all of you. You have been a great help; you may return to your homes.”

“You’re leaving now?” Scraggy exclaimed, eyes even wider than usual. “Will we ever see you again?”

The question made the man hesitate. This wasn’t one of his friends back at the castle; this was a _wild_ Pokémon. Why did it look sad to leave him, a human? It must just have been because he could communicate with them. That was how the world worked; other humans couldn’t understand their voices and therefore mistreated them.

“We might do,” he levelled. He was going to separate people and Pokémon; he was a person, too, and had no place in the Pokémon’s new world of safety.

Once the younger creatures began to make their way back to their homes in the desert, vanishing into the storm, the Darmanitan finally spoke up. “It sounds dangerous, trying to search for the dragons. We’ve all heard the legends of the past.”

“They destroyed the region because there was nothing else they could do. They were injured and yet people still forced them to fight.” The worlds came out solemn, and N found he had to bite his lip to stop tears of sympathy welling in his eyes. “But maybe—maybe if I can befriend them, and let them know what I’m fighting _for_ … they might be willing to help find the truth.”

“It sounds like you’ll need some help. They might not understand what you’re trying to say,” the fire-type commented, standing up and brushing the sand from one of his arms.

“No… I’ll be fine. I’m confident they’ll understand. And if they don’t — well, I guess I’ll know if then if what I’m seeking really _is_ the truth.” He gave a half-hearted smile. “But I know I can befriend the dragons, however difficult finding them may be.” N crouched down, placing one hand on the Darmanitan’s shoulder. “And I want to make sure you’re safe, my friend. I don’t want to have to force you to be inside a Poké ball, so… look after our friends here, okay?”

The Pokémon looked rather surprised at his words. After all, Darmanitan had been the one who looked out for him back in the forest, when he was just a child. Zorua had gone with N to stay at the castle, but Darmanitan remained, eventually being chased away from his home and having to move to the desert – and it had seemed like something of a miracle that they’d finally met again after all these years.

“Someone thinks he’s all grown up now,” the creature mumbled gruffly. “Fine, I’ll stay. But you better not get yourself into any trouble with these dragons.” He lifted one large forearm to pull the man into a hug, just as he used to do when he was a child.

N couldn’t help but laugh gleefully as he wrapped his arms around the creature, a feat that was much easier now that he was older. “I won’t, don’t worry. I’ll miss you, Darmanitan.”

“And if you do manage to reach that dream of yours and separate people and Pokémon, you have to come back and visit someday.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to.” The words were accompanied by a small sigh. “But… I’ll try. It’d be nice to see you again.” He pulled back from the hug, running one hand across the fire-type’s fur to try and brush off some of the sand that had stuck to it.

Darmanitan let out a quiet snort, partially in agreement and partially to try and keep the sand out of his nostrils. “Stay safe out there, Natural.”

 

* * *

 

“Natural…?” Attacked by the storm and still recovering from the shock of the hostile creature suddenly turning calm, Ryan just parroted the word back, not placing the meaning straight away.

There was a mutual look of surprise between boy and Pokémon; then, slowly, the fire-type’s gaze turned more to one of curiosity. It took another step forwards; Ryan just remained still, not wanting to risk angering it again.

“You understood what I said, too.” Fiery eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You’re far too young. You can’t be him.”

 _Him…?_ It took a moment, but a look of realisation soon flashed through Ryan’s eyes. _Of course!_ There was only one other Pokémon he knew of who’d often use the word ‘Natural’, and that was Zoroark when referring to N.

“Were you—are you a friend of my dad’s?” Ryan asked quietly, only loud enough to be heard over the storm.

The Darmanitan was silent for a long while, watching the boy closely as if trying to decide whether what he was thinking could really be true or not. “Tell me, child… what name does your father go by?”

“He always said he wanted people to call him N – but Zoroark still calls him ‘Natural’.”

“Ah. I see Zorua—Zoroark— is still with him, then.” Darmanitan gave a smile, one which looked almost like a grimace thanks to the shape of his mouth.

“You know Zoroark?” Now that the creature seemed friendlier, Ryan was becoming less nervous. Darmanitan was a Pokémon, and one his father had known at that; he didn’t think it would hurt him.

“I did, a long time ago. But I’m not a storyteller.” The fire-type looked up towards the sky, which still swirled with sand, and let out a quiet snort. “This weather won’t do you any good if you’re out in it too long. Do you believe I can trust you?”

“Uh—I think so.” Ryan wasn’t sure what exactly he was asking. “I wouldn’t harm a Pokémon.”

“I meant more along the lines of… you wouldn’t tell other humans where our home was if I brought you there,” Darmanitan mumbled, a stern hint to his voice. “It was Natural’s wish that I protect these Pokémon, and I’m not about to let them be unwillingly captured by any selfish trainers.”

“I won’t tell anyone. Promise.”

“Good. I see Natural has at least raised his son properly.” The corners of the creature’s mouth twitched slightly, giving away the joke in his words. “Follow me, and stay by my side. You’ll be sheltered from the sand that way.”

 

* * *

 

Darmanitan led him on a winding path through the sand dunes, often looking back to check that nobody else was following them and that the boy wasn’t being too battered by the elements. Eventually they ended up at one of the cliffs at the edge of the desert; a gap between the rocks and sand was almost completely hidden behind one of the small dusty hills. It was surprising that the large creature was able to fit through such a low opening, and Darmanitan soon vanished inside.

 _Am I supposed to follow?_ Ryan stared down at the arc-shaped gap in the rocks for a while, trying to actually see what was in there.

“There’s sand below; just climb through, if you slip it’ll break your fall.” The gruff voice of the fire-type was only just audible over the wind outside.

Curiosity finally getting the better of him, and not wanting to be out in this storm for any longer, Ryan wriggled his way through the gap, soon finding himself sliding over the sand-dusted rocks and landing somewhat ungracefully on a pile of sand on the floor below. He had to try and shake the sand from his hair and brush his fringe out of his face before he could actually see what was around him.

The cave was a lot larger than he’d expected; the roof was more than high enough for him to be able to stand up, and the floor closest to the area they’d come in was dusted with sand that had blown inside. It was certainly darker in here than it had been outside, although as his eyes got used to the light, and because of Darmanitan’s fire, it steadily became a lot easier to see.

A slight glow around him quickly caught his attention, particles of sand being detached from his clothes in a green light. Ryan glanced over at Darmanitan in surprise; the creature’s eyes glowed faintly as he easily cleaned the sand from his own fur as well.

“Psychic. You learn a few tricks living out here,” he grunted, leading the way deeper into the cave. “Besides, you won’t make a great impression looking like you’ve been buried in the desert for a month.”

There was a small glow of light up ahead; as they got closer, Ryan could see a flame dancing over a small pile of roots and leaves. The spec of fire illuminated the cavern slightly, outlining a few of the creatures living there. The most obvious was a Darumaka, limbs pulled against its body and gently rocking back and forth near the fire. It took a little while longer to notice the others due to them being further away; a Scraggy was curled up in a dip in the rocks at the side of the cave, and a Sigilyph perched on one of the stones jutting out from the wall.

“We got a special guest,” Darmanitan announced, not sounding any more excited than usual as he settled in one of the corners nearest to the fire. In the orange flickering light, and without the extra covering of sand, it was easier to notice how some of the fire-type’s fur was greyed with age. Maybe he was even older than Zoroark.

“If it’s another Maractus, tell ‘em to donate some leaves or something,” the Scraggy mumbled, rolling over without paying any real attention to the visitor at all.

The other Pokémon did, however.

“Oh my, is that—a human?” the Sigilyph chirped in surprise, swooping down from his perch. The draft from his wings put out the fire, but the Darumaka quickly blew a new flame to reignite it before continuing to stare at the stranger in shock.

“Human!?” that certainly caught the fighting-type’s attention, quickly lifting his head to look around the room in shock, wide eyes finally resting on the boy and narrowing. “Why I oughta—how did he get in here?”

“You didn’t hear the ‘guest’ part?” Darmanitan snorted. “Relax, Scraggy, he’s Natural’s kid. Wouldn’t hurt a Sewaddle.”

“Wait—you’re related to – your father is N? As in _the_ N?” Scraggy hurriedly scrambled from his nest, tripping over his shed skin in the process but soon climbing back to his feet and scurrying over to the boy. “Can you understand me too? What’s your name?”

“Yes, yes, and my name’s Ryan,” he smiled.

“Ryan,” the Sigilyph echoed, hovering slightly above them. “This is amazing – to think that the son of Sir N is in our humble abode!”

“I’m amazed you actually have a human name,” Scraggy commented, only sounding half sarcastic.

“Scraggy! Don’t say things like that,” the Darumaka scolded.

“You have Pokémon with you, don’t you, Ryan?” Darmanitan muttered, not moving from his spot. “I can sense them.”

“Oh—yes, I do! If you want to meet them, I can let them out – if it’s okay for them to be in here as well.”

“Things sure have changed since I last saw Natural.” The comment was spoken quietly, almost more of a thought than something directed at anyone. “Sure. They’re with you; we can probably trust them.”

It didn’t take long to release all five of his Pokémon – Scraggy visibly flinched at the sudden flashes of light, but the other local creatures just looked somewhat amazed. Darmanitan watched silently from afar, his face expressionless. He was still going to watch out for them, even if the visitors did seem trustworthy.

“Fighting-type!” Jay squealed, running to hide behind his trainer.

“Charlotte is a fighting-type too,” Smith pointed out unhelpfully.

“It is truly a pleasure to meet you all,” Sigilyph greeted, still hovering above them since he was unable to land on the floor of the cave. “It has been a long time since I have seen a trainer’s Pokémon!”

“This lot are easily amused; tell some stories of your travels,” Darmanitan suggested. From the way none of the Pokémon reacted at all to the first comment, it was clear that the fire-type’s grouchy attitude wasn’t just because of the sandstorm.

“Well, I haven’t been a trainer for very long…” Ryan admitted. He had the feeling that telling these wild Pokémon about the metal creatures he’d seen in the region wouldn’t be a good idea.

“Oh! Oh! You could tell the stories of how you met us!” Smith suggested, giving a little hop of excitement. “I’d like to know what everyone else did before too!”

“Marvellous,” Axle commented sarcastically, ignoring the group to settle in a space in the corner of the cave, away from the other Pokémon.

 _Maybe I won’t say much about him,_ Ryan thought to himself. _He’s mainly traveling with us for personal reasons, after all._

 

* * *

 

The next few hours were spent with Ryan telling the stories of his team. The cave Pokémon had listened intently, the most intrigued being Sigilyph. Smith had seemed pretty excited to hear how his fellow teammates had joined the group as well.

“You travelled across the _whole region_?” he’d exclaimed, mouth agape as he stared incredulously at Charlotte.

“Wow! Talk about dedication,” Scraggy added, mouth contorting into a smirk. “I like that.”

Charlotte leaned away from the other fighting-type with a grimace. “And I thought the garbage bag was disgusting,” she muttered under her breath.

Darmanitan had listened quietly from his place near the fire, staying out of the conversation but occasionally glancing towards the dragon. Axle ignored him at first, passing it off as the fire-type just being cautious at having strangers in his home.

“Hey, tusks. You seem different from the others,” Darmanitan said flatly, their conversation unnoticed by the storytelling group. “The only mention of you has been deciding to travel with them. Were you forced to join?”

“Of course not!” Axle snapped, trying to keep his voice low to avoid attracting the attention of the others. “I chose to travel with Ryan of my own free will.”

The fire-type continued watching him with an even look, as if trying to figure something out. “There must have been a reason. Do you think he is a good trainer?”

“He’s better than some.” The response was said almost bitterly.

“Sounds like a bad experience. A trainer hurt you in the past?”

Axle gave the old Pokémon a narrow-eyed glare for a moment, considering the comment somewhat intrusive. Still, there was a knowing look in the creature’s eyes. “My friend was taken away by a trainer. Ryan offered to help me find him.”

Darmanitan was silent for a few seconds. Slowly, a fond smile began to spread on the old ape’s face. “Sounds like something Natural would do. I suppose it must run in the family.”

“Is this ‘Natural’ person Ryan’s father?”

“Yeah. I’ve known Natural for a long time; I looked after him when he was younger. I haven’t seen him for quite a while, but I’m glad to know he’s okay still.”

Axle looked back over to the gathering of Pokémon with a slightly worried look in his eyes, letting out a small sigh. “I wish I could say the same about Denny.”

 

* * *

 

With all the distraction, Ryan had forgotten the reason they’d gone to the desert in the first place, until Scraggy made a comment about how crazy they were to take a field trip in this storm.

“Oh, that’s right!” A gasp of realisation escaped him, and he leaned over to look at the old fire-type. “Darmanitan, have you seen any other people in the desert lately?”

“People come through here all the time,” he shrugged. “Why, were you looking for someone?”

“Sort of…” That was the best way to explain the situation. “A trainer with blonde hair and glasses.”

“Well, that’s a very detailed description,” Darmanitan muttered sarcastically. “Any Pokémon with them?”

“I know he has an Espeon and a Magnezone.”

There was a hint of thought in the creature’s expression as he cast a glance towards the cave opening. “Yeah, I think I saw him. Went into the ruins yesterday and left a few hours later. He didn’t go anywhere near this place, so I left him alone. Had the sense to not wander around the desert unprepared in the middle of a storm.” Darmanitan let out a meaningful snort.

“I guess we missed him in the first place,” Ryan sighed, sounding as disappointed as he felt. Ah well – they’d probably get the chance to prove themselves to that man eventually. They’d managed to meet some friends of his father’s on this little adventure, if nothing else.

“It’ll be getting dark soon,” the old Pokémon warned. “Sandile are more active at night, and if you accidentally step on one things can get nasty. Even the one we know might try to take a chunk out of your leg if you did that.”

“You’d be welcome to stay the night, but I’m afraid you might have to make do with sleeping on rocks,” Darumaka added. “There aren’t many materials for making nests in the desert.”

“Oh, it’s okay. We’ll head back to the Pokémon Centre in Nimbasa City and leave you guys in peace,” Ryan smiled gratefully. “Thank you for letting us visit, though. And, well, for not just burning me alive on the spot.”

“I’m not _that_ violent,” he huffed. “Say hi to Natural for me. I’m sure he’ll be glad to know I haven’t kicked the bucket just yet.”

“Alright.” He’d barely spoken to his father since they day he met Concordia – perhaps he’d be happy to hear some more good news. “It was nice meeting you all!” He looked over to his team. “I guess you should go back in your Poké balls for now. There’s probably still a storm outside.”

“Ah, w-wait!”

The sudden interruption surprised everyone, even Darmanitan. There as a sudden fluttering of wings that caused the fire to flicker alarmingly once more – it stayed alight this time – and a moment later Sigilyph was hovering just in front of the boy.

“Is… something wrong?” Ryan asked, a confused expression on his face.

“No, I – before you leave, I was just wondering,” the avian creature said with a chirp. “I apologise if this may seem like too big an ask, but if it’s okay – may I travel with you?”

“What?” Ryan looked even more baffled than before, if that were possible. “You… want to come with us?”

“Ah, um, I’m sorry if that was too bold of me to suggest,” Sigilyph apologised, dipping his head – which was pretty much his whole body. “But the stories you told of your travels, it sounded so intriguing. I haven’t left the desert since we last saw Sir N, and I believe you are just as kind-hearted of a trainer as he was. If you wish for me to stay here, that is also fine. I simply thought I would ask.”

“No, no, it’s okay!” Ryan quickly waved his hands. “I was just surprised, that’s all. And, well…” He glanced over at the old fire-type.

“Don’t look at me. I’m not their babysitter; I just keep intruders away,” he muttered – although there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. “If you want to go with him, Sigilyph, that’s up to you. Natural asked me to look after the Pokémon here, and I’m sure letting you travel with his son counts for that.”

“But if you do come with us, I’ll have to keep you in a Poké ball some of the time,” Ryan added.

“That’s okay. I have been inside a Poké ball before; they really aren’t as bad as they’re sometimes made out to be.” Sigilyph gave a cheerful flap of his wings. “Is it really okay for me to go with you?”

“I don’t have a problem with it,” Ryan nodded.

“It’d be great to have a new friend!” Smith added.

“He seems kinda dangerous.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes, clearly slightly unnerved by the psychic- and flying-type. “Just don’t try anything, rainbow feathers.”

Sigilyph looked slightly confused at the statement. “I would never hurt a friend.”

“You’re really leaving?” Scraggy asked, eyes round with surprise and a hint of sadness – but he recovered soon enough. “Well, hey, at least the fire will stay lit without you creating a draft every five seconds.”

“I’m sorry, Scraggy. You should have said something if that really bothered you.”

“I did. _Loads_ of times.”

“Sandile,” Darmanitan cut in as a reminder. The light shining in through the opening of the cave was starting to fade.

“Right.” As much as Ryan hated to rush the goodbye, they needed to leave before it got dark. “Sigilyph, are you absolutely sure you want to go with us?”

The flying-type nodded. “I am sure. I may even get to see Sir N again someday! While he may have looked down on battles back then, I sense there is something different about you. I would like to become stronger in combat too – being able to look after myself is an important skill.”

 _At least he doesn’t seem to mind battles._ “Okay. Then if it’s alright to leave now…”

“Unless you want to lose your leg in a sandile trap, you’d best get going while there’s still some light out,” Darmanitan said, shuffling closer to the fire. With the night came the cold as well.

“I can show you the way out of the desert as well,” Sigilyph offered. “The storm has likely subsided somewhat by now.” He looked over to the fire-type once more. “Thank you, Darmanitan. I will miss you – and Scraggy and Darumaka too.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Even though Darmanitan pretended he didn’t care, Ryan knew he would miss the psychic-type too. “Stay safe out there. All of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Since this is a good non-cliffhanger point, this edited version is actually going on a brief hiatus until I finish writing the next chapter of the main story. I've been kinda slacking on writing it recently & it's only a couple chapters from finishing so I want to make sure this version doesn't get caught up too fast, haha.
> 
> If you want to keep reading from the next chapter, you can find it here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9415859/32/Burning-Thunder  
> (You can tell it's from a while ago just from the authors notes, wowie)
> 
> I'll probably remove these notes when it starts updating again (& if I don't. uh. someone remind me) but in the meantime I hope everyone is doing well!! There might be a story from a different fandom popping up soon too depending on when I finish it pff. I definitely have my priorities.


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